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LIB  R  AR  Y 

,  OK   THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

GIFT    OF" 


£ 


A  ccessions  No. 


271892 

a  6.      Shelf  No. 


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THJ8 


WATER-WITCH; 


THE    SKIMMER   OF   THE    SEAS 


BY    J.    FENIMORE    COOPER 


Mais,  qui  diable  alloit-il  faire  dans  cette  galore  (" 


COMPLETE  IN   0  N 13    VOL  UME. 


NEW    YORK: 
6TRINGER      AND      TOTVNSEND 

1866. 


WATEE- WITCH. 


Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania,  to  wit : 

reooooooo^  BE  IT  REMEMBERED,  That  on  the  thirtieth  day  of  Otto- 
I  r  c  8  ber,  in  the  fifty-third  year  of  the  Independence  of  the  United 
*  8  States  of  America,  A.  D.  1830,  CAREY  &  LEA,  of  the  said  district, 
i-oooooooo-&  have  deposited  in  this  office  the  title  of  a  book,  the  right  whereof 
they  claim  as  proprietors  in  the  words  following,  to  wit : 

"  The  Water- Witch,  or  the  Skimmer  of  the  Seas.  A  Tale ;  by  the  author 
of  the  Pilot,  Red  Rover,  &c.  &c.  &c. 

4  Mais,  que  diable  alloit-il  faire  dans  cette  galere  T  '•' 

In  conformity  to  the  Act  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  entitled,  "  An 
Act  for  the  Encouragement  of  Learning,  by  securing  the  copies  of  Maps, 
Charts,  and  Books,  to  the  Authors  and  Proprietors  of  such  Copies,  during 
the  times  therein  mentioned:"  And  also  to  an  Act,  entitled,  "  An  Act  sup 
plementary  to  an  Act,  entitled,  '  An  Act  for  the  Encouragement  of  Learn 
ing,  by  securing  the  copies  of  Maps,  Charts,  and  Books,  to  the  Authors  and 
Proprietors  of  such  copies,  during  the  times  therein  mentioned,  and  extend 
ing  the  benefits  thereof  to  the  arts  of  designing,  engraving,  and  etching  hia 
torical  and  other  prints." 

D.  CALDWELL,  Clerk  of  tAe 

Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania. 


PREFACE. 


CHRISTENDOM  is  gradually  extricating  itself  from  the  igno 
lance,  ferocity,  and  crimes  of  the  middle  ages.  It  is  no  longer 
subject  of  boast,  tlut  the  hand  which  wields  the  sword,  never 
held  a  pen,  and  men  have  long  since  ceased  to  be  ashamed  of 
knowledge.  The  multiplied  means  of  imparting  principles 
and  facts,  and  a  more  general  diffusion  of  intelligence,  have 
conduced  to  establish  sounder  ethics  and  juster  practices, 
throughout  the  whole  civilized  world.  Thus,  he  who  admits 
the  conviction,  as  hope  declines  with  his  years,  that  man  de 
teriorates,  is  probably  as  far  from  the  truth,  as  the  visionary 
who  sees  the  dawn  of  a  golden  age,  in  the  commencement  of 
the  nineteenth  century.  That  we  have  greatly  improved  on 
the  opinions  and  practices  of  our  ancestors,  is  quite  as  certain 
as  that  there  will  be  occasion  to  meliorate  the  legacy  of  morals 
which  we  shall  transmit  to  posterity. 

When  the  progress  of  civilization  compelled  Europe  to  cor 
rect  the  violence  and  injustice  which  were  so  openly  practised, 
until  the  art  of  printing  became  known,  the  other  hemisphere 
made  America  the  scene  of  those  acts,  which  shame  prevented 
her  from  exhibiting  nearer  home.  There  was  little  of  a  law 
less,  mercenary,  violent,  and  selfish  nature,  that  the  self-styled 
masters  of  the  continent  hesitated  to  commit,  when  removed 
from  the  immediate  responsibilities  of  the  society  in  which 
they  had  been  educated.  The  Drakes,  Rogers',  and  Dampiers 
of  that  day,  though  enrolled  in  the  list  of  naval  heroes. 


IV  PREFACE. 

were  no  other  than  pirates,  acting  under  the  sanction  of  com 
missions ;  and  the  scenes  that  occurred  among  the  marauders 
of  the  land,  were  often  of  a  character  to  disgrace  human  na 
ture. 

That  the  colonies  which  formed  the  root  of  this  republic 
escaped  the  more  serious  evils  of  a  corruption  so  gross  and  so 
widely  spread,  can  only  be  ascribed  to  the  characters  of  those 
by  whom  tliey  were  peopled. 

Perhaps  nine-tenths  of  all  the  white  inhabitants  of  the 
Union  are  the  direct  descendants  of  men  who  quitted  Europe, 
in  order  to  worship  God  according  to  conviction  and  con 
science.  If  the  Puritans  of  New-England,  the  Friends  of 
Jersey,  Pennsylvania  and  Delaware,  the  Catholics  of  Mary 
land,  the  Presbyterians  of  the  upper  counties  of  Virginia  and 
of  the  Carolinas,  and  the  Huguenots,  brought  with  them  the 
exaggeration  of  their  peculiar  sects,  it  was  an  exaggeration 
that  tended  to  correct  most  of  their  ordinary  practices.  Still 
the  English  Provinces  wore  not  permitted,  altogether,  to  escape 
from  the  moral  dependency  that  seems  nearly  inseparable 
from  colonial  government,  or  to  be  entirely  exempt  from  the 
wide  contamination  of  the  times. 

The  State  of  New- York,  as  is  well  known,  was  originally  a 
colony  of  the  United  Provinces.  The  settlement  was  made 
in  the  year  1613 ;  and  the  Dutch  East  India  Company,  under 
whose  authority  the  establishment  was  made,  claimed  the 
whole  country  between  the  Connecticut  and  the  mouth  of 
Delaware-bay,  a  territory  which,  as  it  had  a  corresponding 
depth,  equalled  the  whole  surface  of  the  present  kingdom  of 
France.  Of  this  vast  region,  however,  they  never  occupied 
but  a  narrow  belt  on  each  side  of  the  Hudson,  with,  here  and 
there,  a  settlement  on  a  few  of  the  river  flats,  more  inland. 


PREFACE.  V 

There  is  a  providence  in  the  destiny  of  nations,  that  sets  at 
nought  the  most  profound  of  human  calculations.  Had  the 
dominion  of  the  Dutch  continued  a  century  longer,  there 
would  have  existed  in  the  very  heart  of  the  Union  a  people 
opposed  to  its  establishment,  by  their  language,  origin,  and 
habits.  The  conquest  of  the  English  in  1663,  though  unjust 
and  iniquitous  in  itself,  removed  the  danger,  by  opening  the 
way  for  the  introduction  of  that  great  community  of  character 
which  now  so  happily  prevails. 

Though  the  English,  the  French,  the  Swedes,  the  Dutch, 
the  Danes,  the  Spaniards,  and  the  Norwegians,  all  had  colonies 
within  the  country  which  now  composes  the  United  States, 
the  people  of  the  latter  are  more  homogeneous  in  character, 
language,  and  opinions,  than  those  of  any  other  great  nation 
that  is  familiarly  known.  This  identity  of  character  is  owing  to 
the  early  predominance  of  the  English,  and  to  the  circumstance 
that  New-England  and  Virginia,  the  two  great  sources  of  inter 
nal  emigration,  were  entirely  of  English  origin.  Still,  New- 
York  retains,  to  the  present  hour,  a  variety  of  usages  that  were 
obtained  from  Holland.  Her  edifices  of  painted  bricks,  her 
streets  lined  with  trees,  her  inconvenient  and  awkward  stoops, 
and  a  large  proportion  of  her  names,  are  equally  derived  from 
the  Dutch.  Until  the  commencement  of  this  century,  even 
language  of  Holland  prevailed  in  the  streets  of  the  capital, 
And  though  a  nation  of  singular  boldness  and  originality  in  all 
that  relates  to  navigation,  the  greatest  sea-port  of  the  country 
betrays  many  evidences  of  a  taste  which  must  be  referred  to 
the  same  origin. 

The  reader  will  find  in  these  facts  a  sufficient  explanation 
of  most  of  the  peculiar  customs,  and  of  some  of  the  pecu- 
.iar  practices,  that  are  exhibited  in  the  course  of  the  fol- 
A2 


VI  PREFACE. 

lowing  tale.  Slavery,  a  divided  language,  and  a  distinct 
people,  are  no  longer  to  be  found,  within  the  fair  regions  of 
New- York ;  and,  without  pretending  to  any  peculiar  exemp 
tion  from  the  weaknesses  of  humanity,  it  may  be  permitted  us 
to  hope,  that  these  are  not  the  only  features  of  the  narrative, 
which  a  better  policy,  and  a  more  equitable  administration  of 
power,  have  made  purely  historical. 

Early  released  from  the  fetters  of  the  middle  ages,  fetters 
that  bound  the  mind  equally  with  the  person,  America  has 
preceded  rather  than  followed  Europe,  in  that  march  of  im 
provement  which  is  rendering  the  present  era  so  remarkable. 
Under  a  system,  broad,  liberal,  and  just  as  hers,  though  she 
may  have  to  contend  with  rivalries  that  are  sustained  by  a 
more  concentrated  competition,  and  which  are  as  absurd  by 
their  pretension  of  liberality  as  they  are  offensive  by  their 
monopolies,  there  is  nothing  to  fear,  in  the  end.  Her  political 
motto  should  be  Justice,  and  her  first  and  greatest  care  to  see 
it  administered  to  her  own  citizens. 

The  reader  is  left  to  make  the  application. 


THE  WATER-WITCH. 


CHAPTER  I. 

"  Wiiat,  shall  this  speech  be  spoke  for  our  excuse  ? 
Or  shall  we  on  without  apology.' 

ROMEO  AND  JULIET. 

THE  fine  estuary  which  penetrates  the  American 
coast,  between  the  fortieth  and  forty-first  degrees  of 
latitude,  is  formed  by  the  confluence  of  the  Hudson, 
the  Hackensack,  the  Passaic,  the  Raritan,  and  a  mul 
titude  of  smaller  streams;  all  of  which  pour  their 
tribute  into  the  ocean,  within  the  space  named.  The 
islands  of  Nassau  and  Staten  are  happily  placed  to 
exclude  the  tempests  of  the  open  sea,  while  the  deep 
and  broad  arms  of  the  latter  offer  every  desirable 
facility  for  foreign  trade  and  internal  intercourse. 
To  this  fortunate  disposition  of  land  and  water,  with 
a  temperate  climate,  a  central  position,  and  an  im 
mense  interior,  that  is  now  penetrated,  in  every  di 
rection,  either  by  artificial  or  by  natural  streams,  the 
city  of  New- York  is  indebted  for  its  extraordinary 
prosperity.  Though  not  wanting  in  beauty,  there 
are  many  bays  that  surpass  this  in  the  charms  of 
scenery ;  but  it  may  be  questioned  if  the  world  pos 
sesses  another  site  that  unites  so  many  natural  ad 
vantages  for  the  growth  and  support  of  a  widely 
extended  commerce.  As  if  never  wearied  with  hei 
kindness,  Nature  has  placed  the  island  of  Manhattan 
at  the  precise  point  that  is  most  desirable  for  the 
position  of  a  town.  Millions  might  inhabit  the  spot, 
and  yet  a  ship  should  load  near  every  door;  and 
while  the  surface  of  the  land  just  possesses  the  ine 
qualities  that  are  required  for  health  and  cleanliness, 
its  b  >sorn  is  filled  with  the  material  most  needed  in 
*onst  ruction. 


8  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

The  consequences  of  so  unusual  a  concurrence  of 
favorable  circumstances,  are  well  known.  A  vigor 
ous,  healthful,  and  continued  growth,  that  has  no 
parallel  even  in  the  history  of  this  extraordinary 
and  fortunate  country,  has  already  raised  the  insig 
nificant  provincial  town  of  the  last  century  to  the 
level  of  the  second-rate  cities  of  the  other  hemisphere. 
The  New- Amsterdam  of  this  continent  already  rivals 
Us  parent  of  the  other ;  and,  so  far  as  human  powers 
may  pretend  to  predict,  a  few  fleeting  years  will 
place  her  on  a  level  with  the  proudest  capitals  of 
Europe. 

It  would  seem  that,  as  Nature  has  given  its  periods 
to  the  stages  of  animal  life,  it  has  also  set  limits  to 
all  moral  and  political  ascendency.  While  the  city 
of  the  Medici  is  receding  from  its  crumbling  walls, 
like  the  human  form  shrinking  into  "  the  lean  and 
slipper'd  pantaloon,"  the  Queen  of  the  Adriatic 
sleeping  on  her  muddy  isles,  and  Rome  itself  is  only 
to  be  traced  by  fallen  temples  and  buried  columns, 
the  youthful  vigor  of  America  is  fast  covering  the 
wilds  of  the  West  with  the  happiest  fruits  of  human 
industry. 

By  the  Manhattanese,  who  is  familiar  with  the 
forest  of  masts,  the  miles  of  wharves,  the  countless 
villas,  the  hundred  churches,  the  castles,  the  smoking 
and  busy  vessels  that  crowd  his  bay,  the  daily  in 
crease  and  the  general  movement  of  his  native  town, 
the  picture  we  are  about  to  sketch  will  scarcely  be 
recognized.  He  who  shall  come  a  generation  later 
will  probably  smile,  that  subject  of  admiration 
should  have  been  found  in  the  existing  condition  of 
the  city:  and  yet  we  shall  attempt  to  carry  the 
recollections  of  the  reader  but  a  century  back,  in 
the  brief  history  of  his  country. 

As  the  sun  rose  on  the  morning  of  the  3d  of  June, 
171-,  the  report  of  a  cannon  was  heard  rolling  along 
the  waters  of  the  Hudson.  Smoke  issued  from  an 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  9 

embrasure  of  a  small  fortress,  that  stood  on  the  point 
of  land  where  the  river  and  the  bay  mingle  their 
tvaters.  The  explosion  was  followed  by  the  appear 
ance  of  a  flag,  which,  as  it  rose  to  the  summit  of  its 
staff  and  unfolded  itself  heavily  in  the  light  current 
of  air,  showed  the  blue  field  and  red  cross  of  the 
English  ensign.  At  the  distance  of  several  miles,  the 
dark  masts  of  a  ship  were  to  be  seen,  faintly  relieved 
by  the  verdant  back-ground  of  the  heights  of  Staten 
Island.  A  little  cloud  floated  over  this  object,  and 
then  an  answering  signal  came  dull  and  rumbling  to 
the  town.  The  flag  that  the  cruiser  set  was  not 
visible  in  the  distance. 

At  the  precise  moment  that  the  noise  of  the  first 
gun  was  heard,  the  door  of  one  of  the  principal 
dwellings  of  the  town  opened,  and  a  man,  who  might 
have  been  its  master,  appeared  on  its  stoop,  as  the 
ill-arranged  entrances  of  the  buildings  of  the  place 
are  still  termed.  He  was  seemingly  prepared  for 
some  expedition  that  was  likely  to  consume  the  day. 
A  black  of  middle  age  followed  the  burgher  to  the 
threshold;  and  another  negro,  who  had  not  yet  reach 
ed  the  stature  of  manhood,  bore  under  his  arm  a 
small  bundle,  that  probably  contained  articles  of  the 
first  necessity  to  the  comfort  of  his  master. 

"  Thrift,  Mr.  Euclid,  thrift  is  your  true  philoso 
pher's  stone ;"  commenced,  or  rather  continued  in  a 
rich  full-mouthed  Dutch,  the  proprietor  of  the  dwell 
ing,  who  had  evidently  been  giving  a  leave-taking 
charge  to  his  principal  slave,  before  quitting  the 
house — "  Thrift  hath  made  many  a  man  rich,  but  it 
never  yet  brought  any  one  to  want.  It  is  thrift 
which  has  built  up  the  credit  of  my  house,  and, 
though  it  is  said  by  myself,  a  broader  back  and  firmer 
base  belongs  to  no  merchant  in  the  colonies  You 
are  but  the  reflection  of  your  master's  prosperity, 
you  rogue,  and  so  much  the  greater  need  that  you 
look  to  his  interests.  If  the  substance  is  wasted,  what 


10  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

will  become  of  the  shadow  1  When  I  get  delicate, 
you  will  sicken  :  when  I  am  a-hungered,  you  will  he 
famished;  when  I  die,  you  may  be — ahem — Euclid, 
I  leave  thee  in  charge  with  goods  and  chattels,  house 
and  stable,  with  my  character  in  the  neighborhood. 
I  am  going  to  tLe  Lust  in  Rust,  for  a  mouthful  of 
netter  air.  Plague  and  fevers !  I  believe  the  people 
will  continue  to  come  into  this  crowded  town,  until 
it  gets  to  be  as  pestilent  as  Rotterdam  in  the  dog-days. 
You  have  now  come  to  years  when  a  man  obtains 
his  reflection,  boy,  and  I  expect  suitable  care  and 
discretion  about  the  premises,  while  my  back  is  turn 
ed.  Now,  harkee,  sirrah :  I  am  not  entirely  pleased 
with  the  character  of  thy  company.  It  is  not  alto 
gether  as  respectable  as  becomes  the  confidential 
servant  of  a  man  of  a  certain  station  in  the  world. 
There  are  thy  two  cousins,  Brom  and  Kobus. 
who  are  no  better  than  a  couple  of  blackguards; 
and  as  for  the  English  negro,  Diomede  —  he  is  a 
devil's  imp !  Thou  hast  the  other  locks  at  disposal, 
and,"  drawing  with  visible  reluctance  the  instrument 
from  his  pocket,  "  here  is  the  key  of  the  stable.  Not 
a  hoof  is  to  quit  it,  but  to  go  to  the  pump — and  see 
that  each  animal  has  its  food  to  a  minute.  The 
devil's  roysterers !  a  Manhattan  negro  takes  a  Flem 
ish  gelding  for  a  gaunt  hound  that  is  never  out  of 
breath,  and  away  he  goes,  at  night,  scampering  along 
the  highways  like  a  Yankee  witch  switching  through 
the  air  on  a  broomstick  —  but  mark  me,  master 
Euclid,  I  have  eyes  in  my  head,  as-thou  knowest  by 
bitter  experience !  D'ye  remember,  ragamuffin,  the 
time  when  I  saw  thee,  from  the  Hague,  riding  the 
beasts,  as  if  the  devil  spurred  them,  along  the  dyke 
f  Leyden,  without  remorse  as  without  leave  ?" 

"  I  alway  b'rieve  some  make-mischief  tell  Masser 
dat  time ;"  returned  the  negro  sulkily,  though  not 
without  doubt. 

"  His  own  eyes  were  the  tell-tales.  If  masters  had 


THE    WATER- WITCH.        I  11 

• 

no  eyes,  a  pretty  world  would  the  negroes  make  of 
it !  I  have  got  the  measure  of  every  black  heel,  on 
the  island,  registered  in  the  big  book  you  see  me  so 
often  looking  into,  especially  on  Sundays;  and,  if 
either  of  the  tire-legs  I  have  named  dares  to  enter 
my  grounds,  let  him  expect  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  city 
Provost.  What  do  the  wild-cats  mean?  Do  they 
think  that  the  geldings  were  bought  in  Holland, 
with  charges  for  breaking  in,  shipment,  insurance, 
freight,  and  risk  of  diseases,  to  have  their  flesh  melt 
ed  from  their  ribs  like  a  cook's  candle?" 

"  Ere  no'tin'  done  in  all  'e  island,  but  a  color'  man 
do  him  !  He  do  a  mischief,  and  he  do  all  a  work, 
too  !  I  won'er  what  color  Masser  t'ink  war'  Captain 
Kidd?" 

"  Black  or  white,  he  was  a  rank  rogue  ;  and  you 
see  the  end  he  came  to.  I  warrant  you,  now,  that 
water-thief  began  his  iniquities  by  riding  the  neigh 
bors'  horses,  at  night.  His  fate  should  be  a  warning 
to  every  negro  in  the  colony.  The  imps  of  darkness ! 
The  English  have  no  such  scarcity  of  rogues  at  home, 
that  they  could  not  spare  us  the  pirate  to  hang  up 
on  one  of  the  islands,  as  a  scarecrow  to  the  blacks 
of  Manhattan." 

"  Well,  I  t'ink  'e  sight  do  a  white  man  some  good, 
too ;"  returned  Euclid,  who  had  all  the  pertinacity 
of  a  spoiled  Dutch  negro,  singularly  blended  with 
affection  for  him  in  whose  service  he  had  been  born. 
"  I  hear  ebbery  body  say,  'er'e  war'  but  two  color' 
man  in  he  ship,  and  'em  hot'  war'  Guinea-born." 

"  A  modest  tongue,  them  midnight  scamperer !  look 
to  my  geldings — Here — here  are  two  Dutch  florins, 
three  stivers,  and  a  Spanish  pistareen  for  thee ;  one 
of  the  florins  is  for  thy  old  mother,  and  with  the 
others  thou  canst  lighten  thy  heart  in  the  Paus  mer 
rymakings — if  I  hear  that  either  of  thy  rascally  cou 
sins,  or  the  English  Diomede,  has  put  a  leg  across 
beast  of  mine,  it  will  be  the  worse  for  all  Africa! 


12  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

Famine  and  skeletons !  here  have  I  been  seven  years 
trying  to  fatten  the  nags,  and  they  still  look  more  like 
weasels  than  a  pair  of  solid  geldings." 

The  close  of  this  speech  was  rather  muttered  in 
the  distance,  and  by  way  of  soliloquy,  than  actually 
administered  to  the  namesake  of  the  great  mathema 
tician.  The  air  of  the  negro  had  been  a  little  equivo 
cal,  during  the  parting  admonition.  There  was  an 
evident  struggle,  in  his  mind,  between  an  innate  love 
of  disobedience,  and  a  secret  dread  of  his  master's 
means  of  information.  So  long  as  the  latter  contin 
ued  in  sight,  the  black  watched  his  form  in  doubt ; 
and  when  it  had  turned  a  corner,  he  stood  at  gaze, 
for  a  moment,  with  a  negro  on  a  neighboring  stoop  ; 
then  both  shook  their  heads  significantly,  laughed 
aloud,  and  retired.  That  night,  the  confidential  ser 
vant  attended  to  the  interests  of  his  absent  master, 
with  a  fidelity  and  care  which  proved  he  felt  his  own 
existence  identified  with  that  of  a  man  who  claimed 
so  close  a  right  in  his  person ;  and  just  as  the  clock 
struck  ten,  he  and  the  negro  last  mentioned  mounted 
the  sluggish  and  over-fattened  horses,  and  galloped, 
as  hard  as  foot  could  be  laid  to  the  earth,  several 
miles  deeper  into  the  island,  to  attend  a  frolic  at  one 
of  the  usual  haunts  of  the  people  of  their  color  and 
condition. 

Had  Alderman  Myndert  Van  Beverout  suspected 
the  calamity  which  was  so  soon  to  succeed  his  ab 
sence,  it  is  probable  that  his  mien  would  have  been 
less  composed,  as  he  pursued  his  way  from  his  own 
door,  on  the  occasion  named.  That  he  had  confidence 
in  the  virtue  of  his  menaces,  however,  may  be  in 
ferred  from  the  tranquillity  which  immediately  took 
possession  of  features  that  were  never  disturbed, 
without  wearing  an  appearance  of  unnatural  effort. 
The  substantial  burgher  was  a  little  turned  of  fifty : 
^ind  an  English  wag,  who  had  imported  from  the 
mother  country  a  love  for  the  humor  of  his  nation, 


THE    WATFR- WITCH.  .3 

had  once,  in  a  conflict  of  wits  before  the  city  council, 
described  him  to  be  a  man  of  alliterations.  When 
called  upon  to  explain  away  this  breach  of  parlia 
mentary  decorum,  the  punster  had  gotten  rid  of  the 
matter,  by  describing  his  opponent  to  be  "  short,  solid 
and  sturdy,  in  stature  ;  full,  flushed  and  funny,  in 
face ;  and  proud,  ponderous  and  pragmatical,  in  pro 
pensities."  But,  as  is  usual,  in  all  sayings  of  effort, 
there  was  more  smartness  than  truth  in  this  descrip 
tion  ;  though,  after  making  a  trifling  allowance  for 
the  coloring  of  political  rivalry,  the  reader  may  re 
ceive  its  physical  portion  as  sufficiently  descriptive 
to  answer  all  the  necessary  purposes  of  this  tale.  If 
we  add,  that  he  was  a  trader  of  great  wealth  and 
shrewdness,  and  a  bachelor,  we  need  say  no  more  in 
this  stage  of  the  narrative. 

Notwithstanding  the  early  hour  at  which  this  in 
dustrious  and  flourishing  merchant  quitted  his  abode, 
his  movement  along  the  narrow  streets  of  his  native 
(own  was  measured  and  dignified.  More  than  once, 
he  stopped  to  speak  to  some  favorite  family-servant, 
invariably  terminating  his  inquiries  after  the  health 
of  the  master,  by  some  facetious  observation  adapted 
to  the  habits  and  capacity  of  the  slave.  From  this, 
it  would  seem,  that,  while  he  had  so  exaggerated 
notions  of  domestic  discipline,  the  worthy  burgher 
was  far  from  being  one  who  indulged,  by  inclination, 
in  the  menaces  he  has  been  heard  to  utter.  He  had 
just  dismissed  one  of  these  loitering  negroes,  when, 
on  turning  a  corner,  a  man  of  his  own  color,  for  the 
first  time  that  morning,  suddenly  stood  before  him. 
The  startled  citizen  made  an  involuntary  movement 
to  avoid  the  unexpected  interview,  and  then,  per 
ceiving  the  difficulty  of  such  a  step,  he  submitted, 
with  as  good  a  grace  as  if  it  had  been  oi>e  of  his  OWD 
seeking. 

"  The  orb  of   day — the  morning  gun — and  Mr 
Alderman  Van  Beverout !"  exclaimed  the  individual 
B 


14  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

encountered.  "  Such  is  the  order  of  events,  at  thia 
early  hour,  on  each  successive  revolution  of  our 
earth." 

The  countenance  of  the  Alderman  had  barely 
time  to  recover  its  composure,  ere  he  was  required 
to  answer  to  this  free  and  somewhat  facetious  saluta 
tion.  Uncovering  his  head,  he  bowed  so  ceremoni 
eusly  as  to  leave  the  other  no  reason  to  exult  in  hi? 
pleasantry,  as  he  answered — 

"  The  colony  has  reason  to  regret  the  services  ol 
a  governor  who  can  quit  his  bed  so  soon.  That  we 
of  business  habits  stir  betimes,  is  quite  in  reason ;  but 
there  are  those  in  this  town,  who  would  scarce  be 
lieve  their  eyes  did  thev  enjoy  my  present  happi 
ness." 

"  Sir,  there  are  many  in  this  colony  who  have 
great  reason  to  distrust  their  senses,  though  none  can 
be  mistaken  in  believing  they  see  Alderman  Van 
Beverout  in  a  well-employed  man.  He  that  dealeth 
in  the  produce  of  the  beaver  must  have  the  animal's 
perseverance  and  forethought !  Now,  were  I  a  king- 
at-arms,  there  should  be  a  concession  made  in  thy 
favor,  Myndert,  of  a  shield  bearing  the  animal  mor 
dant,  a  mantle  of  fur,  with  two  Mohawk  hunters  for 
supporters,  and  the  motto,  t  Industry.'  " 

"  Or  what  think  you,  my  Lord,"  returned  the 
other,  who  did  not  more  than  half  relish  the  plea 
santry  of  his  companion,  "  of  a  spotless  shield  for  a 
clear  conscience,  with  an  open  hand  for  a  crest,  and 
the  motto,  *  Frugality  and  Justice  T  " 

"  I  like  the  open  hand,  though  the  conceit  is  pre 
tending.  I  see  you  would  intimate  that  the  Van 
Beverouts  have  not  need,  at  this  late  day,  to  search 
a  herald's  office  for  honors.  I  remember,  now  I  be 
think  me,  on  some  occasion  to  have  seen  their  bear 
ings ;  a  windmill,  courant ;  dyke,  coulant ;  field,  vert 
sprinkled  with  black  cattle — No  !  then,  memory  ig 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  15 

treacherous ;  the  morning  air  is  pregnant  with  food 
for  the  imagination !" 

"  Which  is  not  a  coin  to  satisfy  a  creditoi ,  my 
Lord,"  said  the  caustic  Myndert. 

"  Therein  has  truth  been,  pithily,  spoken.  Thi 
is  an  ill-judged  step,  Alderman  Van  Beverout,  tha 
lets  a  gentleman  out  by  night,  like  the  ghost  in  Ham 
let,  to  flee  into  the  narrow  house  with  the  crowing 
of  the  cock.  The  ear  of  my  royal  cousin  hath  been 
poisoned,  worse  than  was  the  ear  of  '  murdered  Den 
mark,'  or  the  partisans  of  this  Mister  Hunter  wouF 
have  little  cause  to  triumph." 

"  Is  it  not  possible  to  give  such  pledges  to  those 
who  have  turned  the  key,  as  will  enable  your  lord 
ship  to  apply  the  antidote." 

The  question  stuck  a  chord  that  changed  the 
whole  manner  of  the  other.  His  air,  which  had 
borne  the  character  of  a  genteel  trifler,  became 
more  grave  and  dignified ;  and  notwithstanding  there 
was  the  evidence  of  a  reckless  disposition  in  his  fea 
tures,  dress  and  carriage,  his  tall  and  not  ungraceful 
form,  as  he  walked  slowly  onward,  by  the  side  of  the 
compact  Alderman,  was  not  without  much  of  that 
insinuating  ease  and  blandishment,  which  long  famili 
arity  with  good  company  can  give  even  to  the  lowest 
moral  worth. 

"Your  question,  worthy  Sir,  manifests  great  goodness 
of  heart,  and  corroborates  that  reputation  for  gene 
rosity,  the  world  so  freely  gives.  It  is  true  that  the 
Queen  has  been  persuaded  to  sign  the  mandate  of 
my  recall,  and  it  is  certain  that  Mr.  Hunter  has  the 
government  of  the  colony ;  but  these  are  facts  that 
might  be  reversed,  were  I  once  in  a  position  to  ap 
proach  my  kinswoman.  I  do  not  disclaim  certain 
indiscretions,  Sir;  it  would  ill  become  me  to  deny 
them,  in  pi  esence  of  one  whose  virtue  is  as  severe  as 
that  of  Alderman  Van  Beverout.  I  have  my  failings ; 
perhaps,  as  you  have  just  been  pleased  to  intimate 


16  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

!t  would  have  been  better  had  my  motto  been  fro 
gality ;  but  the  open  hand,  dear  Sir,  is  a  part  of  the 
design  you  will  not  deny  me,  either.  If  I  ha\*e  weak 
nesses,  my  enemies  cannot  refuse  to  say  that  I  never 
yet  deserted  a  friend." 

"  Not  having  had  occasion  to  tax  your  friendship, 
shall  not  be  the  first  to  make  the  charge. 

"  Your  impartiality  has  come  to  be  a  proverb  !  'As 
honest  as  Alderman  Van  Beverout ;'  '  as  generous  as 
Alderman  Van  Beverout,'  are  terms  in  each  man's 
mouth  ;  some  say  '  as  rich  ; '  (the  small  blue  eye  of 
the  burgher  twinkled.)  But  honesty,  and  riches, 
and  generosity,  are  of  little  value,  without  influence. 
Men  should  have  their  natural  consideration  in  so 
ciety.  Now  is  this  colony  rather  Dutch  than  Eng 
lish,  and  yet,  you  see,  how  few  names  are  found  in 
the  list  of  the  Council,  that  have  been  known  in  the 
province  half  a  century  !  Here  are  your  Alexanders 
and  Heathcotes,  your  Morris's  and  Kennedies,  de 
Lanceys  and  Livingstons,  filling  the  Council  and  the 
legislative  halls ;  but  we  find  few  of  the  Van  Rensse- 
laers,  Van  Courtlandts,  Van  Schuylers,  Stuyvesants, 
Van  Beekmans,  and  Van  Beverouts,  in  their  natural 
stations.  All  nations  and  religions  have  precedency, 
in  the  royal  favor,  over  the  children  of  the  Patri 
archs.  The  Bohemian  Felipses;  the  Huguenot  de 
Lanceys,  and  Bayards,  and  Jays ;  the  King-hating 
Morrises  and  Ludlows — in  short,  all  have  greater 
estimation  in  the  eyes  of  government,  than  the  most 
ancient  Patroon!" 

"  This  has  long  and  truly  been  the  case.  I  cannoi 
remember  when  it  was  otherwise  !" 

"  It  may  not  be  denied.  But  it  would  little  become 
political  discretion  to  affect  precipitancy  in  the  judg 
ment  of  character.  If  my  own  administration  can 
be  stigmatized  with  the  same  apparent  prejudice,  it 
proves  tne  clearer  how  strong  is  misrepresentation  at 
home.  Time  was  wanting  to  enlighten  my  mind* 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  17 

and  that  time  has  been  refused  me.  In  arother  year, 
my  worthy  Sir,  the  Council  should  have  been  filled 
with  Van's!" 

"  In  such  a  case,  my  Lord,  the  unhappy  condition 
in  which  you  are  now  placed  might  indeed  have 
been  avoided." 

"  Is  it  too  late  to  arrest  the  evil  1  It  is  time  Anne 
hail  been  undeceived,  and  her  mind  regained.  There 
wanteth  nothing  to  such  a  consummation  of  justice, 
Sir,  but  opportunity.  It  touches  me  to  the  heart,  to 
think  that  this  disgrace  should  befall  one  so  near  the 
royal  blood !  'Tis  a  spot  on  the  escutcheon  of  the 
crown,  that  all  loyal  subjects  must  feel  desirous  to 
efface,  and  so  small  an  effort  would  effect  the  object, 
too,  with  certain — Mr.  Alderman  Myndert  Van  Beve- 
rout ?" 

"  My  Lord,  late  Governor,"  returned  the  other, 
observing  that  his  companion  hesitated. 

"  What  think  you  of  this  Hanoverian  settlement? — 
Shall  a  German  wear  the  crown  of  a  Plantagenet  ? " 

"  It  hath  been  worn  by  a  Hollander." 

"  Aptly  answered  !  Worn,  and  worn  worthily ! 
There  is  affinity  between  the  people,  and  there  is 
reason  in  that  reply.  How  have  I  failed  in  wisdom, 
in  not  seeking  earlier  the  aid  of  thy  advice,  excellent 
Sir !  Ah,  Myndert,  there  is  a  blessing  on  the  enter 
prises  of  all  who  come  of  the  Low  Countries ! " 

"  They  are  industrious  to  earn,  and  slow  to  squan 
der." 

"  That  expenditure  is  the  ruin  of  many  a  worthy 
subject !  And  yet  accident — chance — fortune — or 
whate'/er  you  may  choose  to  call  it,  interferes  nefa 
riously,  at  times,  with  a  gentleman's  prosperity.  I 
am  an  adorer  of  constancy  in  friendship,  Sir,  and 
hold  the  principle  that  men  should  aid  each  other 
through  this  dark  vale  cf  life — Mr.  Alderman  Van 
Beverout ? " 

"My  LordCornbury?" 


I  8  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

"  I  was  about  to  say,  that  should  I  quit  the  Prov 
ince,  without  expressing  part  of  the  regret  I  feel,  at 
not  having  sooner  ascertained  the  merits  of  its  origin 
al  owners,  and  your  own  in  particular,  I  should  do 
injustice  to  sensibilities,  that  are  only  too  acute  for 
he  peace  of  him  who  endures  them." 

"  Is  there  then  hope  that  your  lordship's  creditor 
will  relent,  or  has  the  Earl  furnished  means  to  open 
the  prison-door?" 

"  You  use  the  pleasantest  terms,  Sir ! — but  I  love 
directness  of  language,  above  all  other  qualities.  No 
doubt  the  prison-door,  as  you  have  so  clearly  express 
ed  it,  might  be  opened,  and  lucky  would  be  the  man 
who  should  turn  the  key.  I  am  pained  when  I  think 
of  the  displeasure  of  the  Queen,  which,  sooner  or 
later,  will  surely  visit  my  luckless  persecutors.  On 
the  other  hand,  I  find  relief  in  thinking  of  the  favor 
she  will  extend  to  those  who  have  proved  my  friends, 
in  such  a  strait.  They  that  wear  crowns  love  not  to 
see  disgrace  befall  the  meanest  of  their  blood,  for 
something  of  the  taint  may  sully  even  the  ermine  of 
Majesty. — Mr.  Alderman !" 

"My  Lord?" 

" — How  fare  the  Flemish  geldings?" 

"  Bravely,  and  many  thanks,  my  Lord  ;  the  rogues 
are  fat  as  butter !  There  is  hope  of  a  little  rest  for 
the  innocents,  since  business  calls  me  to  the  Lust  in 
Rust.  There  should  be  a  law,  Lord  Governor,  to  gibbet 
the  black  that  rides  a  beast  at  night." 

"  I  bethought  of  some  condign  punishment  for  so 
heartless  a  crime,  but  there  is  little  hope  for  it  under 
the  administration  of  this  Mr.  Hunter.  Yes,  Sir. 
were  I  once  more  in  the  presence  of  my  royal  cousin, 
here  would  quickly  be  an  end  to  this  delusion,  and 
the  colony  should  be  once  more  restored  to  a  health 
ful  state.  The  men  of  a  generation  should  cease  to 
lord  it  over  the  men  of  a  century.  But  we  must  be 
wary  of  letting  our  design,  my  dear  Sir,  get  wind ;  it 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  19 

is  a  truly  Dutch  idea,  and  the  profits,  both  pecuniary 
and  political,  should  belong  to  the  gentlemen  of  that 
descent — My  dear  Van  Beverout ?" 

"My  good  Lord?" 

"  Is  the  blooming  Alida  obedient  ?  Trust  me,  there 
has  no  family  event  occurred,  during  my  residence 
in  the  colony,  in  which  I  have  taken  a  nearer  in 
terest,  than  in  that  desirable  connexion.  The  woo 
ing  of  the  young  Patroon  of  Kinderhook  is  an  affair 
of  concern  to  the  province.  It  is  a  meritorious 
youth!" 

"With  an  excellent  estate,  my  Lord!" 

"  And  a  gravity  beyond  his  years." 

"  I  would  give  a  guarantee,  at  a  risk,  that  two- 
thirds  of  his  income  goes  to  increase  the  capital,  at 
the  beginning  of  each  season  ! " 

"  He  seems  a  man  to  live  on  air !" 

"  My  old  friend,  the  last  Patroon,  left  noble  assets," 
continued  the  Alderman,  rubbing  his  hands  ;  "  be 
sides  the  manor." 

"  Which  is  no  paddock  !" 

"  It  reaches  from  the  Hudson  to  the  line  of  Massa 
chusetts.  A  hundred  thousand  acres  of  hill  and  bot 
tom,  and  well  peopled  by  frugal  Hollanders." 

"  Respectable  in  possession,  and  a  mine  of  gold  in 
reversion  !  Such  men,  Sir,  should  be  cherished.  We 
owe  it  to  his  station  to  admit  him  to  a  share  of  this, 
our  project  to  undeceive  the  Queen.  How  superior 
are  the  claims  of  such  a  gentleman  to  the  empfy 
pretensions  of  your  Captain  Ludlow!" 

•'  He  has  truly  a  very  good  and  an  improving  es 
tate!" 

"  These  Ludlows,  Sir,  people  that  fled  the  realm 
for  plotting  against  the  crown,  are  offensive  to  a  loyal 
subject.  Indeed,  too  much  of  this  objection  may  be 
imputed  to  many  in  the  province,  that  come  of  Eng 
lish  blood.  I  am  sorry  to  say,  that  they  are  foment- 
ers  of  discord,  disturbers  of  the  public  mind,  ar,d 


20  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

captious  disputants  about  prerogatives  and  vested 
rights.  But  there  is  a  repose  in  the  Dutch  character 
which  lends  it  dignity!  The  descendants  of  the  Hol 
landers  are  men  to  be  counted  on ;  where  we  leave 
them  to-day,  we  see  them  to-morrow.  As  we  say  in 
politics,  Sir,  we  know  where  to  find  them.  Does  it 
not  seem  to  you  particularly  offensive  that  this  Cap 
tain  Ludlow  should  command  the  only  royal  cruiser 
on  the  station?" 

"  I  should  like  it  better,  my  Lord,  were  he  to  serve 
in  Europe,"  returned  the  Alderman,  glancing  a  look 
behind  him,  and  lowering  his  voice.  "  There  was 
lately  a  rumor  that  his  ship  was  in  truth  to  be  sent 
among  the  islands." 

"  Matters  are  getting  very  wrong,  most  worthy 
Sir ;  and  the  greater  the  necessity  there  should  be 
one  at  court  to  undeceive  the  Queen.  Innovators 
should  be  made  to  give  way  to  men  whose  names 
are  historical,  in  the  colony." 

"  'Twould  be  no  worse  for  Her  Majesty's  credit." 

"  'Twould  be  another  jewel  in  her  crown  !  Should 
this  Captain  Ludlow  actually  marry  your  niece,  the 
family  would  altogether  change  its  character — I 
have  the  worst  memory — thy  mother,  Myndert,  was 
a — a — " 

"  The  pious  woman  was  a  Van  Busser." 

"  The  union  of  thy  sister  with  the  Huguenot  then 
reduces  the  fair  Alida  to  the  quality  of  a  half-blood. 
The  Ludlow  connexion  would  destroy  the  leaven  of 
the  race !  I  think  the  man  is  penniless  ! " 

"  I  cannot  say  that,  my  Lord,  for  I  would  not  will 
ingly  injure  the  credit  of  my  worst  enemy  ;  but, 
though  wealthy,  he  is  far  from  having  the  estate  OA 
the  young  Patroon  of  Kinderhook." 

"  He  should  indeed  be  sent  into  the  Indies — Myn 
dert ?" 

"My  Lord?" 

"  It  would  be  unjust  to  my  sentiments  in  favor  ol 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  2) 

Mr  Oloff  Van  Staats,  were  we  to  exclude  him  from 
the  advantages  of  our  project.  This  much  shall  1 
exa^t  from  your  friendship,  in  his  favor;  the  neces 
sary  sum  may  be  divided,  in  moieties,  between  you 
a  common  bond  shall  render  the  affair  compact ;  and 
then,  as  we  shall  be  masters  of  our  own  secret,  there 
^an  be  little  doubt  of  the  prudence  of  our  measures, 
The  amount  is  written  in  this  bit  of  paper." 

"  Two  thousand  pounds,  my  Lord  1" 

"  Pardon  me,  dear  Sir  ;  not  a  penny  more  than 
one  for  each  of  you.  Justice  to  Van  Staats  requires 
that  you  let  him  into  the  affair.  Were  it  not  for  the 
suit  with  your  niece,  I  should  take  the  young  gentle 
man  with  me,  to  push  his  fortunes  at  court." 

"  Truly,  my  Lord,  this  greatly  exceeds  my  means. 
The  high  prices  of  furs  the  past  season,  and  delays 
in  returns  have  placed  a  seal  upon  our  silver " 

"  The  premium  would  be  high." 

"  Coin  is  getting  so  scarce,  daily,  that  the  face  of 
Li  Carolus  is  almost  as  great  a  stranger,  as  the  face 
of  a  debtor " 

4<  The  returns  certain." 

"  While  one's  creditors  meet  him,  at  every  cor 


ner 


A  

"  The  concern  would  be  altogether  Dutch." 

"  And  last  advices  from  Holland  tell  us  to  reserve 
our  gold,  for  some  extraordinary  movements  in  the 
commercial  world." 

"  Mr.  Alderman  Myndert  Van  Beverout !" 

"  My  Lord  Viscount  Cornbury " 

"  Plutus  preserve  thee,  Sir — but  have  a  care  ! 
though  I  scent  the  morning  air,  and  must  return,  it 
is  not  forbid  to  tell  the  secrets  of  my  prison-house. 
There  is  one,  in  yonder  cage,  who  whispers  that  the 
*  Skimmer  of  the  Seas'  is  on  the  coast!  Be  wary, 
worthy  burgher,  or  the  second  part  of  the  tiagedy 
of  Kidd  may  yet  be  enacted  in  these  seas." 


'22  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

I  leave  such  transa  :tions  to  my  superiors,"  retorted 
the  Alderman,  with  another  stiff  and  ceremonious 
bow.  "  Enterprises  that  are  said  to  have  occupied 
the  Earl  of  Bellamont,  Governor  Fletcher,  and  my 
Lord  Cornbury,  are  above  the  ambition  of  an  humble 
erchant." 

"  Adieu,  tenacious  Sir ;  quiet  thine  impatience  for 
the  extraordinary  Dutch  movements  !  "  said  Corn- 
bury,  affecting  to  laugh,  though  he  secretly  felt  the 
sting  the  other  had  applied,  since  common  report 
implicated  not  only  him,  but  his  two  official  prede 
cessors,  in  several  of  the  lawless  proceedings  of  the 
American  Buccaneers :  "  Be  vigilant,  or  la  demoiselle 
Barberie  will  give  another  cross  to  the  purity  of  the 
stagnant  pool ! " 

The  bows  that  were  exchanged  were  strictly  in 
character.  The  Alderman  was  unmoved,  rigid,  and 
formal,  while  his  companion  could  not  forget  his  ease 
of  manner,  even  at  a  moment  of  so  much  vexation. 
Foiled  in  an  effort,  that  nothing  but  his  desperate 
condition,  and  nearly  desperate  character,  could  have 
induced  him  to  attempt,  the  degenerate  descendant 
of  the  virtuous  Clarendon  walked  towards  his  place 
of  confinement,  with  the  step  of  one  who  assumed  a 
superiority  over  his  fellows,  and  yet  with  a  mind  so 
indurated  by  habitual  depravity,  as  to  have  left  it 
scarcely  the  trace  of  a  dignified  or  virtuous  quality 


; 

THE    WATER- WITCH.  23 

CHAPTER  II. 

"  His  words  are  bonds,  his  oaths  are  oracles ; 
His  love  sincere,  his  thoughts  immaculate ; — " 

Two  GENTLEMEN  or  VERONA. 

THE  philosophy  of  Alderman  Van  Beverout  was 
not  easily  disturbed.  Still  there  was  a  play  of  the 
nether  muscles  of  the  face,  which  might  be  construed 
into  self-complacency  at  his  victory,  while  a  certain 
contraction  of  those  which  controlled  the  expression 
of  the  forehead  seemed  to  betray  a  full  consciousness 
of  the  imminent  risk  he  had  run.  The  left  hand  was 
thrust  into  a  pocket,  where  it  diligently  fingered  the 
provision  of  Spanish  coin  without  which  the  mer 
chant  never  left  his  abode  ;  while  the  other  struck 
the  cane  it  held  on  the  pavement,  with  the  force  of 
a  resolute  and  decided  man.  In  this  manner  he  pro 
ceeded  in  his  walk,  for  several  minutes  longer,  shortly 
quitting  the  lower  streets,  to  enter  one  that  ran  along 
the  ridge,  which  crowned  the  land,  in  that  quarter 
of  the  island.  Here  he  soon  stopped  before  the  door 
of  a  house  which,  in  that  provincial  town,  had  alto 
gether  the  air  of  a  patrician  dwelling. 

Two  false  gables,  each  of  which  was  surmounted 
by  an  iron  weathercock,  intersected  the  roof  of  this 
building,  and  the  high  and  narrow  stoop  was  built  of 
the  red  free-stone  of  the  country.  The  material  of 
the  edifice  itself  was,  as  usual,  the  small,  hard  brick 
of  Holland,  painted  a  delicate  cream-color. 

A  single  blow  of  the  massive  glittering  knocker 
brought  a  servant  to  the  door.  The  promptitude  with 
which  this  summons  was  answered  showed  that,  not 
withstanding  the  early  hour,  the  Alderman  was  an 
expected  guest.  The  countenance  of  him  who  acted 
as  porter  betrayed  no  surprise  when  he  saw  the  per 
son  who  applied  for  admission,  and  every  movement 
of  the  black  denoted  preparation  and  readiness  for 


24  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

his  reception.  Declining  his  invitation  to  enter,  how 
ever,  the  Alderman  placed  his  back  against  the  iron 
railing  of  the  stoop,  and  opened  a  discourse  with  the 
negro.  The  latter  was  aged,  with  a  head  that  was 
grizzled,  a  nose  that  was  levelled  nearly  to  the  plane 
of  his  face,  features  that  were  wrinkled  and  confused, 
and  with  a  form  which,  though  still  solid,  was  bend 
ing  with  its  load  of  years. 

"  Brave  cheer  to  thee,  old  Cupid ! "  commenced 
the  burgher,  in  the  hearty  and  cordial  manner  with 
which  the  masters  of  that  period  were  wont  to  ad 
dress  their  indulged  slaves.  "  A  clear  conscience  is 
a  good  night-cap,  and  you  look  bright  as  the  morning 
sun !  I  hope  my  friend  the  young  Patroon  has  slept 
sound  as  yourself,  and  that  he  has  shown  his  face 
already,  to  prove  it." 

The  negro  answered  with  the  slow  clipping  manner 
that  characterized  his  condition  and  years. 

"  He'm  werry  wakeful,  Masser  Al'erman.  I  t'ink 
he  no  sleep  half  he  time,  lately.  All  he  a'tiverty 
and  wiwacerty  gone,  an'  he  do  no  single  t'ing  but 
smoke.  A  gentle'um  who  smoke  alway,  Masser 
Al'erman,  get  to  be  a  melercholy  man,  at  last.  I  do 
t'ink  'ere  be  one  young  lady  in  York  who  be  he  deaf, 
some  time ! " 

"  We  '11  find  the  means  to  get  the  pipe  out  of  his 
mouth,"  said  the  other,  looking  askance  at  the  black, 
as  if  to  express  more  than  he  uttered.  "  Romance 
and  pretty  girls  play  the  deuce  with  our  philosophy, 
in  youth,  as  thou  knowest  by  experience,  old  Cupid." 

"  I  no  good  for  any  t'ing,  dat-a-way,  now,  not'ing," 
calmly  returned  the  black.  "  I  see  a  one  time,  when 
few  color'  man  in  York  hab  more  respect  among  a 
fair  sec',  but  dat  a  great  while  gone  by.  Now,  de 
modder  of  your  Euclid,  Masser  Al'erman,  war'  a 
pretty  woman,  do'  she  hab  but  poor  conduc'.  Den 
a  war'  young  heself,  and  I  use  to  visit  at  de  Al'er- 
man's  fadder's ;  afore  a  English  come,  and  when  ole 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  25 

Patroon  war'  a  young  man.    Golly!  I  great  affection 
for  Euclid,  do'  a  young  dog  nebber  come  a  near  me!" 

"  He's  a  blackguard !  My  back  is  no  sooner  turned, 
than  the  rascal's  atop  of  one  of  his  master's  geldings.* 

"  He'm  werry  young,  master  My'nert :  no  one  get 

wis'om  fore  a  gray  hair." 

He's  forty  every  minute,  and  the  rogue  gets  impu 
dence  with  his  years.   Age  is  a  reverend  and  respect 
able  condition,  when  it  brings  gravity  and  thought 
but,  if  a  young  fool  be  tiresome,  an  old  fool  is  con 
temptible.      I'll   warrant  me,   you   never  were   so 
thoughtless,  or  so  heartless,  Cupid,  as  to  ride  an  over 
worked  beast,  at  night!" 

"  Well,  I  get  pretty  ole,  Masser  Myn'ert  an'  I 
forget  all  he  do  when  a  young  man.  But  here  be  *e 
Patroon,  who  know  how  to  tell 'e  Al'erman  such  t'ing 
oetter  than  a  poor  color'  slave." 

"  A  fair  rising  and  a  lucky  day  to  you,  Patroon !" 
cried  the  Alderman,  saluting  a  large,  slow-moving, 
gentlemanly-looking  young  man  of  five-and-twenty, 
who  advanced,  with  the  gravity  of  one  of  twice  that 
number  of  years,  from  the  interior  of  the  house,  to 
wards  its  outer  door  "  The  winds  are  bespoken, 
ind  here  is  as  fine  a  day  as  ever  shone  out  of  a  clear 
sky,  whether  it  came  from  the  pure  atmosphere  of 
Holland,  or  of  old  England  itself.  Colonies  and  pa 
tronage  !  If  the  people  on  the  other  side  of  the  ocean 
had  more  faith  in  mother  Nature,  and  less  opinion  o** 
themselves,  they  would  find  it  very  tolerable  breath 
ing  in  the  plantations.  But  the  conceited  rogues  are 
like  the  man  who  blew  the  bellows,  and  fancied  he 
made  the  music ;  and  there  is  never  a  hobbling  imp 
f  them  all,  but  he  believes  he  is  straighter  and 
ounder,  than  th&  best  in  the  colonies.  Here  is  our 
bay,  now,  as  smooth  as  if  it  were  shut  in  with  twenty 
dykes,  and  the  voyage  will  be  as  safe  as  if  it  were 
made  on  a  canal." 

"  Dat  werry  well,  if  a  do  it,"  grumbled  Cupid,  who 
C 


26  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

ousied  himself  affectionately  about  the  person  of  his 
master.  "  I  t'ink  it  alway  better  to  travel  on  'e  land, 
when  a  gentle'um  own  so  much  as  Masser  OlofE  Der' 
war'  'e  time  a  ferry-boat  go  down,  wid  crowd  of  peo 
ple  ;  and  nobody  ebber  come  up  again  to  say  how  he 
feel." 

"  Here  is  some  mistake!"  interrupted  the  Alder 
man,  throwing  an  uneasy  glance  at  his  young  friend 
"  I  count  four-and-fifty  years,  and  remember  no  such 
calamity." 

"  He'm  werry  sing'lar  how  a  young  folk  do  forget ! 
'Ere  war'  drown  six  people  in  dat  werry -boat.  A  two 
Yankee,  a  Canada  Frenchman,  and  a  poor  woman 
from  a  Jarseys.  Ebbery  body  war'  werry  sorry  for 
a  poor  woman  from  a  Jarseys !" 

"  Thy  tally  is  false,  Master  Cupid,"  promptly  re 
joined  the  Alderman,  who  was  rather  expert  at 
figures.  "  Two  Yankees,  a  Frenchman,  and  your 
Jersey  woman,  make  but  four." 

"  Well,  den  I  s'pose  'ere  war'  one  Yankee ;  but  I 
know  all  war'  drown,  for  'e  Gubbenor  lose  he  fine 
coach-horses  in  dat  werry-boat." 

"  The  old  fellow  is  rignt,  sure  enough ;  for  I  re 
member  the  calamity  of  the  horses,  as  if  it  were  but 
yesterday.  But  Death  is  monarch  of  the  earth,  and 
none  of  us  may  hope  to  escape  his  scythe,  when  the 
appointed  hour  shall  come  !  Here  are  no  nags  to  lose, 
to-day  ;  and  we  may  commence  our  voyage,  Patroon 
with  cheerful  faces  and  light  hearts.  Shall  we  pro 
ceed?" 

Oloff  Van  Staats,  or  the  Patroon  of  Kinderhook, 

as,  by  the  courtesy  of  the  colony,  he  was  commonly 

ermed,  did  not  want  for  personal  firmness.    On  the 

ontrary,  like  most  of  those  who  were  descended 

rom  the  Hollanders,  he  was  rather  distinguished  foi 

steadiness  in  danger,  and  obstinacy  in  resistance.  The 

little  skirmish  which  had  just  taken  place,  between 

lis  friend  and  his  slave,  had  proceeded  from  then 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  27 

several  apprehensions ;  the  one  feeling  a  sort  of  pa 
rental  interest  in  his  safety,  and  the  other  having 
particular  reasons  for  wishing  him  to  persevere  in 
his  intention  to  embark,  instead  of  any  justifiable 
cause  in  the  character  of  the  young  proprietor  him 
self.  A  sign  to  the  boy  who  bore  a  portmanteau, 
ettled  the  controversy ;  and  then  Mr.  Van  Staats 
intimated  his  readiness  to  move. 

Cupid  lingered  on  the  stoop,  until  his  master  had 
turned  a  corner ;  then,  shaking  his  head  with  all  the 
misgivings  of  an  ignorant  and  superstitious  mind,  he 
drove  the  young  ±ry  of  blacks,  who  thronged  the  door, 
into  the  house,  closing  all  after  him  with  singular  and 
scrupulous  care.  How  far  the  presentiment  of  the 
black  was  warranted  by  the  event,  will  be  seen  in 
the  course  of  the  narrative. 

The  wide  avenue,  in  which  OlofF  Van  Staats 
dwelt,  was  but  a  few  hundred  yards  in  length.  It 
terminated,  at  one  end,  with  the  fortress ;  and  at  the 
other,  it  was  crossed  by  a  high  stockade,  which  bore 
the  name  of  the  city  walls ;  a  defence  that  was  pro 
vided  against  any  sudden  irruption  of  the  Indians, 
who  then  hunted,  and  even  dwelt  in  some  numbers, 
in  the  lower  counties  of  the  colony. 

It  requires  great  familiarity  with  the  growth  of 
the  town,  to  recognize,  in  this  description,  the  noble 
street  that  now  runs  for  a  league  through  the  centre 
of  the  island.  From  this  avenue,  which  was  then,  as 
it  is  still,  called  the  Broadway,  our  adventurers  de 
scended  into  a  lower  quarter  of  the  town,  holding 
free  converse  by  the  way. 

"  That  Cupid  is  a  negro  to  keep  the  roof  on  a 
house,  in  its  maste  *'s  absence,  Patroon,"  observed  the 
Alderman,  soon  after  they  had  left  the  stoop.  "  He 
ooks  like  a  padlock,  and  one  might  sleep,  without  a 
dream,  with  such  a  guardian  near  his  dwelling,  j 
wish  I  had  brought  the  honest  fellow  the  key  of  m? 
stable!'' 


28  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

"  I  have  heard  my  father  say,  th?  ',  ihe  keys  of  his 
own  were  always  better  near  his  ovi  /<  pillow,"  coolly 
returned  the  proprietor  of  a  hundre  <  thousand  acres. 

"  Ah,  the  curse  of  Cain !  It  is  needless  to  look  for 
the  fur  of  a  marten  on  the  back  of  a  cat.  But,  Mr. 
Van  Staats,  while  walking  to  your  iloor  this  morning, 
t  was  my  fortune  to  meet  the  lats  governor,  who  is 
permitted  by  his  creditors  to  take  the  air,  at  an  hour 
when  he  thinks  the  eyes  of  the  impertinent  will  be 
shitf.  I  believe,  Patroon,  you  were  so  lucky  as  to  get 
back  your  moneys,  before  the  royal  displeasure  visit 
ed  the  man?" 

"  I  was  so  lucky  as  never  to  trust  him." 

"  That  was  better  still,  for  it  would  have  been  a 
barren  investment — great  jeopardy  to  principal,  and 
no  return.  But  we  had  discourse  of  various  interests, 
and,  among  others,  something  was  hazarded  concern 
ing  your  amatory  pretensions  to  my  niece." 

"  Neither  the  wishes  of  Oloff  Van  Staats,  nor  the 
inclinations  of  la  belle  Barberie,  are  a  subject  for  the 
Governor  in  Council,"  said  the  Patroon  of  Kinder- 
hook,  stiffly. 

"  ft  or  was  it  thus  treated.  The  Viscount  spoke  me 
fair,  and,  had  he  not  pushed  the  matter  beyond  dis 
cretion,  we  might  have  come  to  happier  conclusions." 

"  I  am  glad  that  there  was  some  restraint  in  the 
discourse." 

"  The  man  certainly  exceeded  reason,  for  he  lea 
the  conference  into  personalities  that  no  prudent  man 
could  relish.  Still  he  said  it  was  possible  that  the 
Coquette  might  yet  be  ordered  for  service  among  the 
islands!" 

It  has  been  said,  that  Oloff  Van  Staats  was  a  fair 
oersonable  young  man  of  vast  stature,  and  with  much 
of  the  air  of  a  gentleman  of  his  country ;  for,  though 
a  British  subject,  he  was  rather  a  Hollander  in  feel 
ings,  habits,  and  opinions.  He  colored  at  the  allusion 
to  the  presence  of  his  known  rival,  though  his  com- 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  29 

panion  was  at  a  loss  to  discover  whether  pride  or 
vexation  was  at  the  bottom  of  his  emotion. 

"  If  Captain  Ludlow  prefer  a  cruise  in  the  Indies, 
to  duty  on  this  coast,  I  hope  he  may  obtain  his  wish," 
was  the  cautious  answer. 

"  Your  liberal  man  enjoys  a  sounding  name,  and 
an  empty  coffer,"  observed  the  Alderman,  drily.  "  To 
me  it  seems  that  a  petition  to  the  admiral  to  send  so 
meritorious  an  officer  on  service  where  he  may  dis 
tinguish  himself,  should  deserve  his  thanks.  The  free 
booters  are  playing  the  devil's  game  with  the  sugar 
trade,  and  even  the  French  are  getting  troublesome, 
further  south." 

"  He  has  certainly  the  reputation  of  an  active 
cruiser." 

"  Blixum  and  philosophy  !  If  you  wish  to  succeed 
with  Alida,  Patroon,  you  must  put  more  briskness 
into  the  adventure.  The  girl  has  a  cross  of  the 
Frenchman  in  her  temper,  and  none  of  your  delib 
erations  and  taciturnities  will  gain  the  day.  This 
visit  to  the  Lust  in  Rust  is  Cupid's  own  handywork, 
and  I  hope  to  see  you  both  return  to  town  as  ami 
cable  as  the  Stadtholder  and  the  States  General, 
after  a  sharp  struggle  for  the  year's  subsidy  has  been 
settled  by  a  compromise." 

"  The  success  of  this  suit  is  the  affair  nearest  mj 

"  The  young  man  paused  as  if  surprised  at  his 

own  communicativeness;  and,  taking  advantage  of 
the  haste  in  which  his  toilette  had  been  made,  he 
thrust  a  hand  into  his  vest,  covering  with  its  broad 
palm  a  portion  of  the  human  frame  which  poets  dc 
not  describe  as  the  seat  of  the  passions. 

"  If  you  mean  stomach,  Sir,  you  will  not  hav 
reason  to  be  disappointed,"  retorted  the  Alderman,  a 
little  more  severely  than  was  usual  with  one  so  cau 
tious.  "  The  heiress  of  Myndert  Van  Beverout  will 
no'  he  a  penniless  bride,  and  Monsieur  Barberie  did 
no*  '  J*se  the  books  of  life  without  taking  good  care 
C>  2 


30  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

of  the  balance-sheet — but  yonder  are  those  devils  o* 
ferrymen  quitting  the  wharf  without  us !  Scampef 
ahead,  Brutus,  and  tell  them  to  wait  the  legal  minute. 
The  rogues  are  never  exact ;  sometimes  starting  be 
fore  I  am  ready,  and  sometimes  keeping  me  waiting 
in  the  sun,  as  if  I  were  no  better  than  a  dried  dun- 
fish.  Punctuality  is  the  soul  of  business,  and  one  of 
my  habits  does  not  like  to  be  ahead,  nor  behind  his 
time." 

In  this  manner  the  worthy  burgher,  who  would 
have  been  glad  to  regulate  the  movements  of  others, 
on  all  occasions,  a  good  deal  by  his  own,  vented  his 
complaints,  while  he  and  his  companion  hurried  on 
to  overtake  the  slow-moving  boat  in  which  they  were 
to  embark.  A  brief  description  of  the  scene  will  not 
be  without  interest,  to  a  generation  that  may  be 
termed  modern  in  reference  to  the  time  of  which 
we  write. 

A  deep  narrow  creek  penetrated  the  island,  at  this 
point,  for  the  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  Each 
of  its  banks  had  a  row  of  buildings,  as  the  houses 
line  a  canal  in  the  cities  of  Holland.  As  the  natural 
course  of  the  inlet  was  necessarily  respected,  the 
street  had  taken  a  curvature  not  unlike  that  of  a 
new  moon.  The  houses  were  ultra-Dutch,  being  low, 
angular,  fastidiously  neat,  and  all  erected  with  their 
gables  to  the  street.  Each  had  its  ugly  and  incon 
venient  entrance,  termed  a  stoop,  its  vane  or  weather 
cock,  its  dormer-windows,  and  its  graduated  battle 
ment-walls.  Near  the  apex  of  one  of  the  latter,  3 
Jittle  iron  crane  projected  into  the  street.  A  small 
boat,  of  the  same  metal,  swung  from  its  end, — a  sign 
that  the  building  to  which  it  was  appended  was  the 
ferry-house. 

An  inherent  love  of  artificial  and  confined  navi 
gation  had  probably  induced  the  burghers  to  select 
this  spot,  as  the  place  whence  so  many  craft  depart 
ed  from  the  town ;  since,  it  is  certain,  that  the  two 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  31 

rivers  could  have  furnished  divers  points  more  favor 
able  for  such  an  object,  inasmuch  as  they  possess  the 
advantage  of  wide  and  unobstructed  channels. 

Fifty  blacks  were  already  in  the  street,  dipping 
their  brooms  into  the  creek,  and  nourishing  water 
over  the  side-walks,  and  on  the  fronts  of  the  low 
edifices.  This  light  but  daily  duty  was  relieved  by- 
clamorous  collisions  of  wit,  and  by  shouts  of  merri 
ment,  in  which  the  whole  street  would  join,  as  with 
one  joyous  and  reckless  movement  of  the  spirit. 

The  language  of  this  light-hearted  and  noisy  race 
was  Dutch,  already  corrupted  by  English  idioms,  and 
occasionally  by  English  words ; — a  system  of  change 
that  has  probably  given  rise  to  an  opinion,  among 
some  of  the  descendants  of  the  earlier  colonists,  that 
the  latter  tongue  is  merely  a  patois  of  the  former 
This  opinion,  which  so  much  resembles  that  certain 
well-read  English  scholars  entertain  of  the  plagiarisms 
of  the  continental  writers,  when  they  first  begin  to 
dip  into  their  works,  is  not  strictly  true ;  since  the 
language  of  England  has  probably  bestowed  as  much 
on  the  dialect  of  which  we  speak,  as  it  has  ever  re 
ceived  from  the  purer  sources  of  the  school  of  Hol 
land.  Here  and  there,  a  grave  burgher,  still  in  his 
night-cap,  might  be  seen  with  a  head  thrust  out  of 
an  upper  window,  listening  to  these  barbarisms  of 
speech,  and  taking  note  of  all  the  merry  jibes,  that 
flew  from  mouth  to  mouth  with  an  indomitable 
gravity,  that  no  levity  of  those  beneath  could  under 
mine. 

As  the  movement  of  the  ferry-boat  was  necessarly 
slow,  the  Alderman  and  his  companion  were  enab'ed 
to  step  into  it,  before  the  fasts  were  thrown  aboard. 
The  periagua,  as  the  craft  was  called,  partook  of  a 
European  and  an  American  character.  It  posse,  sed 
the  length,  narrowness,  and  clean  bow,  of  the  ca.ioe, 
from  which  its  name  was  derived,  with  the  flat  bot 
tom  anci  lee-boards  of  a  boat  constructed  for  the 


32  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

shallow  waters  of  the  Low  Countries.  Twenty  yean 
ago,  vessels  of  this  description  abounded  in  our  rivers 
and  even  now,  their  two  long  and  unsupported  masts 
and  high  narrow-headed  sails,  are  daily  seen  bending 
like  reeds  to  the  breeze,  and  dancing  lightly  over  the 
oillows  of  the  bay.  There  is  a  variety  of  the  class 
f  a  size  and  pretension  altogether  superior  to  tha 
just  mentioned,  which  deserves  a  place  among  the 
most  picturesque  and  striking  boats  that  float.  He 
who  has  had  occasion  to  navigate  the  southern  shore 
of  the  Sound  must  have  often  seen  the  vessel  to  which 
we  allude.  It  is  distinguished  by  its  great  length,  and 
masts  which,  naked  of  cordage,  rise  from  the  hull 
like  two  tall  and  faultless  trees.  When  the  eye  runs 
over  the  daring  height  of  canvas,  the  noble  confidence 
of  the  rig,  and  sees  the  comparatively  vast  machine 
handled  with  ease  and  grace  by  the  dexterity  of  two 
fearless  and  expert  mariners,  it  excites  some  such 
admiration  as  that  which  springs  from  the  view  of  a 
severe  temple  of  antiquity.  The  nakedness  and  sim 
plicity  of  the  construction,  coupled  with  the  boldness 
and  rapidity  of  its  movements,  impart  to  the  craft 
an  air  of  grandeur,  that  its  ordinary  uses  would  not 
give  reason  to  expect. 

Though,  in  some  respects,  of  singularly  aquatic 
habits,  the  original  colonists  of  New- York  were  far 
less  adventurous,  as  mariners,  than  their  present  de 
scendants.  A  passage  across  the  bay  did  not  often 
occur  in  the  tranquil  lives  of  the  burghers ;  and  it  is 
still  within  the  memory  of  man,  that  a  voyage  be 
tween  the  two  principal  towns  of  the  State  was  an 
event  to  excite  the  solicitude  of  friends,  and  the  anxi 
ety  of  the  traveller.  The  perils  of  the  Tappaan  Zee, 
as  one  of  the  wider  reaches  of  the  Hudson  is  still 
termed,  was  often  dealt  with  by  the  good  wives  of 
the  colony,  in  their  relations  of  marvels ;  and  she 
who  had  oftenest  encountered  them  unharmed,  was 
deemed  a  sort  of  marine  amazon. 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  33 


CHAPTER  HI. 

*• — I  have  great  comfort  from  this  fellow:  methinkshe  Lath  no  drownir 
inark  upon  him ,  his  complexion  is  perfect  gallows." 

TEMPEST. 

IT  has  been  said  that  the  periagua  was  in  motion, 
before  our  two  adventurers  succeeded  in  stepping  on 
board.  The  arrival  of  the  Patroon  of  Kinderhook 
and  of  Alderman  Van  Beverout  was  expected,  and 
the  schipper  had  taken  his  departure  at  the  precise 
moment  of  the  turn  in  the  current,  in  order  to  show, 
with  a  sort  of  pretending  independence  which  has  a 
peculiar  charm  for  men  in  his  situation,  that  '  time 
and  tide  wait  for  no  man.'  Still  there  were  limits  to 
his  decision ;  for,  while  he  put  the  boat  in  motion, 
especial  care  was  taken  that  the  circumstance  should 
not  subject  a  customer  so  important  and  constant  as 
the  Alderman,  to  any  serious  inconvenience.  When 
he  and  his  friend  had  embarked,  the  painters  were 
thrown  aboard,  and  the  crew  of  the  ferry-boat  began 
to  set  their  vessel,  in  earnest,  towards  the  mouth  of 
the  creek.  During  these  movements,  a  young  negro 
was  seated  in  the  bow  of  the  periagua,  with  his  legs 
dangling,  one  on  each  side  of  the  cut-water,  forming 
no  bad  apology  for  a  figure-head.  He  held  a  conch 
to  his  mouth,  and  with  his  two  glossy  cheeks  inflated 
like  those  of  Eolus,  and  his  dark  glittering  eyes  ex 
pressing  the  delight  he  found  in  drawing  sounds  from 
the  shell,  he  continued  to  give  forth  the  signal  for 
departure. 

"Put  up  the  conch,  thou  bawler!"  cried  the  Al 
derman,  giving  the  younker  a  rap  on  his  naked  poll, 
in  passing,  with  the  end  of  his  cane,  that  might  have 
disturbed  the  harmony  of  one  less  bent  on  clamor. 
•'  A  thousand  windy  trumpeters  would  be  silence  it- 
elf,  compared  to  such  a  p  lir  of  lungs !  How  now 


34  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

Master  Schipper,  is  this  your  punctuality,  to  start 
before  your  passengers  are  ready  1 " 

The  undisturbed  boatman,  without  removing  the 
pipe  from  his  mouth,  pointed  to  the  bubbles  on  the 
water  which  were  already  floating  outward,  a  cer- 
ain  evidence  that  the  tide  was  on  the  ebb. 

"  I  care  nothing  for  your  ins  and  outs,  your  ebbs 
and  floods,"  returned  the  Alderman,  in  heat.  "  There 
is  no  better  time-piece  than  the  leg  and  eye  of  a 
punctual  man.  It  is  no  more  pleasant  to  go  before 
one  is  ready,  than  to  tarry  when  all  business  is  done. 
Harkee,  Master  Schipper,  you  are  not  the  only  navi 
gator  in  this  bay,  nor  is  your  craft  the  swiftest  that 
was  ever  launched.  Have  a  care ;  though  an  acqui 
escing  man  by  nature,  I  know  how  to  encourage 
an  opposition,  when  the  public  good  seriously  calls 
for  my  support." 

To  the  attack  on  himself,  the  schipper  was  stoic 
ally  indifferent,  but  to  impeach  the  qualities  of  the 
periagua  was  to  attack  one  who  depended  solely  on 
his  eloquence  for  vindication.  Removing  his  pipe, 
therefore,  he  rejoined  on  the  Alderman,  with  that 
sort  of  freedom,  that  the  sturdy  Hollanders  never 
failed  to  use  to  all  offenders,  regardless  alike  of  rank 
or  personal  qualities. 

"  Der  wind-gall  and  Aldermen ! "  he  growled,  in 
the  dialect  of  the  country ;  "  I  should  be  glad  to  see 
the  boat  in  York-bay  that  can  show  the  Milk-Maid 
her  stern !  The  Mayor  and  council-men  had  better 
order  the  tide  to  turn  when  they  please ;  and  then 
as  each  man  will  think  of  his  own  pleasure,  a  pretty 
get  of  whirlpools  they  will  give  us  in  the  harbor!" 

The  schipper,  having  delivered  himself  of  his  sen 
timents,  to  this  effect,  resumed  his  pipe,  like  a  man 
who  felt  he  deserved  the  meed  of  victory,  whether 
he  were  to  receive  it,  or  not. 

"  It  is  useless  to  dispute  with  an  obstinate,  man," 
muttered  the  Alderman,  making  his  way  through 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  35 

vegetable  baskets,  butter-tubs,  and  all  the  garniture 
of  a  market-boat,  to  the  place  occupied  by  his  niece, 
in  the  stern-sheets.  "  Good  morrow  to  thee  Alida 
dear ;  early  rising  will  make  a  flower-garden  of  thy 
cheeks,  and  the  fresh  air  of  the  Lust  in  Rust  wil 
give  even  thy  roses  a  deeper  bloom." 

The  mollified  burgher  then  saluted  the  cheek 
whose  bloom  had  been  deepened  by  his  remark,  with 
a  warmth  that  showed  he  was  not  without  natural 
affection ;  touched  his  hat,  in  return  for  a  low  bow 
that  he  received  from  an  aged  white  man-servant, 
in  a  clean  but  ancient  livery  ;  and  nodded  to  a 
voung  negress,  whose  second-hand  finery  sufficiently 
showed  she  was  a  personal  attendant  of  the  heiress, 

A  second  glance  at  Alida  de  Barberie  was  scarcely 
necessary  to  betray  her  mixed  descent.  From  hei 
Norman  father,  a  Huguenot  of  the  petite  noblesse, 
she  had  inherited  her  raven  hair,  the  large,  brilliant, 
coal-black  eyes,  in  which  wildness  was  singularly  re 
lieved  by  sweetness,  a  classical  and  faultless  profile, 
and  a  form  which  was  both  taller  and  more  flexible 
than  commonly  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  damsels  of  Hol 
land.  From  her  mother,  la  belle  Barberie,  as  the 
maiden  was  often  playfully  termed,  had  received  a 
skin,  fair  and  spotless  as  the  flower  of  France,  and 
a  bloom  which  rivalled  the  rich  tints  of  an  evening 
sky  in  her  native  land.  Some  of  the  em  "bon  point, 
for  which  the  sister  of  the  Alderman  had  been  a 
little  remarkable,  had  descended  also  to  her  fairer 
daughter.  In  Alida,  however,  this  peculiarity  did 
not  exceed  the  fullness  which  became  her  years, 
rounding  her  person  and  softening  the  outlines  of  her 
form,  rather  than  diminishing  its  ease  and  grace 
These  personal  advantages  were  embellished  by  a 
neat  but  modest  travelling  habit,  a  little  beaver  that 
was  shaded  by  a  cluster  of  drooping  feathers,  and  a 
mien  that,  under  the  embarrassment  of  her  situation, 


36  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

preserved  the  happiest  medium  between  modest,   ind 
perfect  self-possession. 

When  Alderman  Van  Beverout  joined  this  fair 
creature,  in  whose  future  happiness  he  was  fully  jus 
tified  in  taking  the  deep  interest  which  he  has  be 
trayed  in  some  of  the  opening  scenes  of  this  volume 
he  found  her  engaged  in  a  courteous  discourse  wit  i 
the  young  man,  who  was  generally  considered  as  the 
one,  among  the  numerous  pretenders  to  her  favor, 
who  was  most  likely  to  succeed.    Had  other  cause 
been   wanting,  this  sight   alone  would   have   been 
sufficient  to  restore  his  good-humor ;  and,  making  a 
place  for  himself,  by  quietly  dispossessing  Francois, 
the  domestic  of  his  niece,  the  persevering;  burgher 
endeavored  to  encourage  an  intercourse,  that  he  had 
reason  to  think  must  terminate  in  the  result  he  both 
meditated  and  desired. 

In  the  present  effort,  however,  the  Alderman 
failed.  There  is  a  feeling  which  universally  per 
vades  landsmen  and  landswomen,  when  they  first 
embark  on  an  element  to  which  they  are  strangers, 
that  ordinarily  shuts  their  mouths  and  renders  them 
meditative.  In  the  older  and  more  observant  travel 
lers,  it  is  observation  and  comparison ;  while  with 
the  younger  and  more  susceptible,  it  is  very  apt  to 
take  the  character  of  sentiment.  Without  stopping 
to  analyze  the  cause,  or  the  consequences,  in  the  in 
stance  of  the  Patroon  and  la  belle  Barberie,  it  will 
be  sufficient  to  state,  that  in  spite  of  all  the  efforts 
of  the  worthy  burgher,  who  had  navigated  the  slug 
gish  creek  too  often  to  be  the  subject  of  any  new 
emotions,  his  youthful  companions  gradually  grew 
silent  and  thoughtful.  Though  a  celibite  in  his  own 
person,  Myndert  had  not  now  to  learn  that  the  infant 
god  as  often  does  his  mischief  through  this  ^uiet 
agency,  as  in  any  other  manner.  He  became,  there 
fore,  mute  in  his  turn,  watching  the  slow  moverr»«nt 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  37 

»f  ths  periagua  with  as  much  assiduity  as  if  he  saw 
his  own  image  on  the  water. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  of  this  characteristic,  and 
it  is  to  be  inferred  agreeable  navigation,  brought  the 
boat  to  the  mouth  of  the  inlet.  Here  a  powerful 
effort  forced  her  into  the  tide's-way,  and  she  migh 
be  said  to  put  forth  on  her  voyage.  But  while  the 
black  crew  were  trimming  the  sails,  and  making  the 
other  necessary  preparations  for  departure,  a  voice 
was  heard  hailing  them  from  the  shore,  with  an  order 
rather  than  a  request,  that  they  would  stay  their 
movements. 

"  Hilloa,  the  periagua  ! "  it  cried.  "  Haul  over 
your  head-sheet,  and  jam  the  tiller  down  into  the 
lap  of  that  comfortable-looking  old  gentleman.  Come ; 
bear  a  hand,  my  hummers !  or  your  race-horse  of  a 
craft  will  get  the  bit  into  its  mouth,  and  run  away 
with  you." 

This  summons  produced  a  pause  in  the  movements 
of  the  crew.  After  regarding  each  other,  in  surprise 
and  admiration,  the  watermen  drew  the  head-sheet 
over,  put  the  helm  a-lee,  without  however  invading 
the  lap  of  the  Alderman,  and  the  boat  became  sta 
tionary,  at  the  distance  of  a  few  rods  from  the  shore. 
While  the  new  passenger  was  preparing  to  come  off 
in  a  yawl,  those  who  awaited  his  movements  had 
leisure  to  examine  his  appearance,  and  to  form  their 
different  surmises  concerning  his  character. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say,  that  the  strange, 
was  a  son  of  the  ocean.  He  was  of  a  firmly  knit 
and  active  frame,  standing  exactly  six  feet  in  his 
stockings.  The  shoulders  though  square  were  com 
pact,  the  chest  full  and  high,  the  limbs  round,  neat 
and  muscular, — the  whole  indicating  a  form  in  which 
strength  and  activity  were  apportioned  with  the 
greatest  accuracy.  A  small  bullet  head  was  set 
firmly  on  its  broad  foundation,  and  it  was  thickly 
covered  with  a  mass  of  brown  hair  that  was  already 

11 


38  THE    WATER-WITCH 

a  little  grizzled.  The  face  was  that  of  a  man  cf 
thirty,  and  it  was  worthy  of  the  frame,  heing  manly, 
oold,  decided,  and  rather  handsome ;  though  it  ex 
pressed  little  more  than  high  daring,  perfect  coolness, 
some  obstinacy,  and  a  certain  degree  of  contempt 
for  others,  that  its  owner  did  not  always  take  the 
trouble  to  conceal.  The  color  was  a  rich,  deep,  and 
uniform  red,  such  as  much  exposure  is  apt  to  give  to 
men  whose  complexions  are,  by  nature,  light  and 
florid. 

The  dress  of  the  stranger  was  quite  as  remarkable 
as  his  person.  He  wore  a  short  pea-jacket,  cut  tight 
and  tastefully  ;  a  little,  low,  and  rakish  cap,  and  full 
bell-mouthed  trowsers,  all  in  a  spotlessly  white  duck ; 
a  material  well  adapted  to  the  season  and  the  cli 
mate.  The  first  was  made  without  buttons,  affording 
an  apology  for  the  use  of  a  rich  Indian  shawl,  that 
belted  his  body  and  kept  the  garment  tight  to  his 
frame.  Faultlessly  clean  linen  appeared  through  the 
opening  above,  and  a  collar,  of  the  same  material, 
fell  over  the  gay  bandanna,  which  was  thrown,  with 
a  single  careless  turn,  around  his  throat.  The  latter 
was  a  manufacture  then  little  known  in  Europe,  and 
its  use  was  almost  entirely  confined  to  seamen  of  the 
long  voyage.  One  of  its  ends  was  suffered  to  blow 
about  in  the  wind,  but  the  other  was  brought  down 
with  care  over  the  chest,  where  it  was  confined,  by 
springing  the  blade  of  a  small  knife  with  an  ivory 
handle,  in  a  manner  to  confine  the  silk  to  the  linen ; 
a  sort  of  breast-pin  that  is  even  now  much  used  by 
mariners.  If  we  add,  that  light,  canvas  slippers* 
with  foul-anchors  worked  in  worsted  upon  their  in 
steps,  covered  his  feet,  we  shall  say  all  that  is  neces 
sary  of  his  attire. 

The  appearance  of  one,  of  the  air  and  dress  we 
have  just  described,  excited  a  strong  sensation  among 
the  blacks  who  scrubbed  the  stoops  and  pavements. 
He  was  closely  attended  to  the  place  where  he  hailed 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  39 

the  periagua,  by  four  or  five  loungers,  who  studied 
his  manner  and  movements  with  the  admiration  that 
men  of  their  class  seldom  fail  to  bestow  on  those 
who  bear  about  them  the  evidence  of  having  passed 
lives  of  adventure,  and  perhaps  of  hardship  and 
daring.  Beckoning  to  one  of  these  idlers  to  follow 
him,  the  hero  of  the  India-shawl  stepped  into  an 
empty  boat,  and  casting  loose  its  fast,  he  sculled  the 
light  yawl  towards  the  craft  which  was  awaiting  his 
arrival.  There  was,  in  truth,  something  in  the  reck 
less  air,  the  decision,  and  the  manly  attitudes  of  so 
fine  a  specimen  of  a  seaman,  that  might  have  at 
tracted  notice  from  those  who  were  more  practised 
in  the  world  than  the  little  crowd  of  admirers  he 
left  behind  him.  With  an  easy  play  of  wrist  and 
elbow,  he  caused  the  yawl  to  glide  ahead  like  some 
indolent  marine  animal  swimming  through  its  ele 
ment,  and  as  he  stood,  firm  as  a  planted  statue,  with 
a  foot  on  each  gunwale,  there  was  much  of  that  con 
fidence  created  by  his  steadiness,  that  one  acquires 
by  viewing  the  repeated  and  successful  efforts  of  a 
skilful  rope-dancer.  When  the  yawl  reached  the 
side  of  the  periagua,  he  dropped  a  small  Spanish 
coin  into  the  open  palm  of  the  negro,  and  sprang  on 
the  side  of  the  latter,  with  an  exertion  of  muscle 
that  sent  the  little  boat  he  quitted  half-way  back  to 
wards  the  shore,  leaving  the  frightened  black  to 
steady  himself,  in  his  rocking  tenement,  in  the  best 
manner  he  could. 

The  tread  and  posture  of  the  stranger,  when  he 
gained  the  half-deck  of  the  periagua,  was  finely 
nautical,  and  confident  to  audacity.  He  seemed  to 
analyze  the  half-maritime  character  of  the  crew 
ind  passengers,  at  a  glance,  and  to  feel  that  sort  of 
luperiority  over  his  companions,  which  men  of  his 
profession  were  then  a  little  too  wont  to  entertain 
towards  those  whose  ambition  could  be  bounded  by 
terra-firma.  His  eye  turned  upward,  at  the  simple 


40  THE   WATER-WITCH* 

"ig  and  modest  sails  of  the  periagua,  while  his  upper 
lip  curled  with  the  knowing  expression  of  a  critic. 
Then  kicking  the  fore-sheet  clear  of  its  cleet,  and 
suffering  the  sail  to  fill,  he  stepped  from  one  butter- 
tub  to  another,  making  a  stepping-stone  of  the  lap 
of  a  countryman  by  the  way,  and  alighted  in  the 
stern-sheets  in  the  midst  of  the  party  of  Alderman 
Van  Beverout,  with  the  agility  and  fearlessness  of  a 
feathered  Mercury.  With  a  coolness  that  did  infinite 
credit  to  his  powers  for  commandirg,  his  next  act 
was  to  dispossess  the  amazed  schipper  of  the  helm, 
taking  the  tiller  into  his  own  hands,  with  as  much 
composure  as  if  he  were  the  every-day  occupant  of 
the  post.  When  he  saw  that  the  boat  was  begin 
ning  to  move  through  the  water,  he  found  leisure  to 
bestow  some  observation  on  his  fellow-voyagers.  The 
first  that  met  his  bold  and  reckless  eye  was  Francois, 
the  domestic  of  Alida. 

"  If  it  come  to  blow  in  squalls,  Commodore,"  ob 
served  the  intruder,  with  a  gravity  that  half  deceived 
the  attentive  Frenchman,  while  he  pointed  to  the 
bag  in  which  the  latter  wore  his  hair,  "  you  '11  be 
troubled  to  carry  your  broad  pennant.  But  so  expe 
rienced  an  officer  has  not  put  to  sea  without  having 
a  storm-cue  in  readiness  for  foul  weather." 

The  valet  did  not,  or  affected  not  to  understand 
the  allusion,  maintaining  an  air  of  dignified  but  silent 
superiority. 

"  The  gentleman  is  in  a  foreign  service,  and  does 
not  understand  an  English  mariner !  The  worst  that 
can  come,  after  all,  of  too  much  top-hamper,  is  to 
cut  away,  and  let  it  drift  with  the  scud.  May  I 
make  bold  to  ask,  judge,  if  the  courts  have  done 
any  thing,  of  late,  concerning  the  freebooters  among 
the  islands?" 

"  I  have  not  the  honor  to  bear  Her  Majesty's  com 
mission,"  coldly  returned  Van  Staats  of  Kinderhook, 
to  whom  this  question  had  been  hardily  put 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  4 

"  The  best  navigator  is  sometimes  puzzled  by  a 
jnazy  observation,  and  many  an  old  seaman  has  takei* 
a  fog-bank  for  solid  ground.  Since  yf  u  are  not  in 
the  courts,  Sir,  I  wish  you  joy;  for  it  is  running 
among  shoals  to  be  cruising  there,  whether  as 
iudge  or  suitor.  One  is  never  fairly  snug  and  land 
locked,  while  in  company  of  a  lawyer,  and  yet  tl  e 
devil  himself  cannot  always  give  the  sharks  a  good 
offing.  A  pretty  sheet  of  water,  friends,  and  one  .is 
snug  as  rotten  cables  and  foul  winds  can  render  desi 
rable,  is  this  bay  of  York  !" 

"  You  are  a  mariner  of  the  long  voyage,"  returned 
the  Patroon,  unwilling  that  Alida  should  not  believe 
him  equal  to  bandying  wits  with  the  stranger. 

"  Long,  or  short ;  Calcutta,  or  Cape  Cod  ;  dead 
reckoning,  eye-sight,  or  star-gazing,  all's  one  to  your 
real  dolphin.  The  shape  of  the  coast  between  Fundy 
and  Horn,  is  as  familiar  to  my  eye,  as  an  admirer  to 
this  pretty  young  lady ;  and  as  to  the  other  shore,  1 
have  run  it  down  oftener  than  the  Commodore,  here, 
has  ever  set  his  pennant,  blow  high  or  blow  low.  A 
cruise  like  this  is  a  Sunday  in  my  navigation  ;  though 
I  dare  say,  you  took  leave  of  the  wife,  blessed  the 
children,  overhauled  the  will,  and  sent  to  ask  a  good 
word  from  the  priest,  before  you  came  aboard  1 " 

"  Had  these  ceremonies  been  observed,  the  danger 
would  not  have  been  increased,"  said  the  young  Pa 
troon,  anxious  to  steal  a  glance  at  la  belle  Barberie, 
though  his  timidity  caused  him,  in  truth,  to  look  the 
other  way.  "  One  is  never  nearer  danger,  for  being 
prepared  to  meet  it." 

"  True ;  we  must  all  die>  when  the  reckoning  is 
out.  Hang  or  drown — gibbet  or  bullet  clears  th 
world  of  a  great  deal  of  rubbish,  or  the  decks  would 
get  to  be  so  littered  that  the  vessel  could  not  be 
worked.  The  last  cruise  is  the  longest  of  all ;  and 
honest  papers,  with  a  clean  bill  of  health,  may  help 
i  man  into  oort,  when  he  is  past  keeping  the  open 
D2 


<Li  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

sea.  How  now,  schipper !  what  lies  are  floating  abou* 
the  docks  this  morning  ?  when  did  the  last  Albany- 
man  get  his  tub  down  the  river,  or  whose  gelding  has 
been  ridden  to  death  in  chase  of  a  witch." 

"The  devil's  babes!"  muttered  the  Alderman 
"  there  is  no  want  of  roisterers  to  torment  such  inria 
cents!" 

"  Have  the  buccaneers  taken  to  praying,  or  does 
their  trade  thrive  in  this  heel  of  the  war  T'  continued 
the  mariner  of  the  India-shawl,  disregarding  the  com 
plaint  of  the  burgher.  "  The  times  are  getting  heavy 
for  men  of  metal,  as  may  be  seen  by  the  manner  in 
which  yon  cruiser  wears  out  her  ground-tackle,  in 
stead  of  trying  the  open  sea.  May  I  spring  every 
spar  I  carry,  but  I  would  have  the  boat  out  and  give 
her  an  airing,  before  to-morrow,  if  the  Queen  would 
condescend  to  put  your  humble  servant  in  charge  of 
the  craft!  The  man  lies  there,  at  his  anchors,  as  if 
he  had  a  good  freight  of  real  Hollands  in  his  hold, 
and  was  waiting  for  a  few  bales  of  beaver-skins  to 
bartei  for  his  strong  waters." 

As  the  stranger  coolly  expressed  this  opinion  of  Her 
Majesty's  ship  Coquette,  he  rolled  his  glance  over  the 
persons  of  his  companions,  suffering  it  to  rest,  a  mo 
ment,  with  a  secret  significance,  on  the  steady  eye  of 
the  burgher. 

"  Well — "  he  continued,  "  the  sloop  answers  for  a 
floating  vane  to  tell  which  way  the  tide  is  running, 
if  she  does  nothing  better ;  and  that  must  be  a  great 
assistance,  Schipper,  in  the  navigation  of  one  who 
keeps  as  bright  a  look-out  on  the  manner  in  which 
the  world  whirls  round,  as  a  gentleman  of  your  saga  • 
ity!" 

"  If  the  news  in  the  creek  be  true,"  rejoined  the 
unoffended  owner  of  the  periagua,  "  there  will  be 
other  business  for  Captain  Ludlow  and  the  Coquette, 
before  many  days ! " 

"  Ah !  having  eaten  all  his  meat  and  bread,  the 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  43 

man  will  be  obliged  to  victual  his  ship  anew !  'Twere 
a  pity  so  active  a  gentleman  should  keep  a  fast,  in  a 
brisk  tide's-way.  And  when  his  coppers  are  once 
more  filled,  and  the  dinner  is  fairly  eaten,  what  dost 
think  will  be  his  next  duty  ? " 

"  There  is  a  report,  among  the  boatmen  of  the 
South  Bay,  that  something  was  seen,  yester'night,  oft 
tae  outer  side  of  Long  Island !" 

"  I'll  answer  for  the  truth  of  that  rumor,  for  hav 
ing  come  up  with  the  evening  flood,  I  saw  it  my 
self." 

"  Der  duyvel's  luck  !  and  what  dost  take  it  to  be  ?" 

"  The  Atlantic  Ocean ;  if  you  doubt  my  word,  I 
appeal  to  this  well-ballasted  "old  gentleman,  who, 
being  a  schoolmaster,  is  able  to  give  you  latitude  ant 
longitude  for  its  truth." 

"  I  am  Alderman  Van  Beverout,"  muttered  the 
object  of  this  new  attack,  between  his  teeth,  though 
apparently  but  half-disposed  to  notice  one  who  set 
so  little  bounds  to  his  discourse. 

"  I  beg  a  thousand  pardons  !"  returned  the  strange 
seaman,  with  a  grave  inclination  of  his  body.  "  The 
stolidity  of  your  worship's  countenance  deceived  me. 
It  may  be,  indeed,  unreasonable  to  expect  any  Alder 
man  to  know  the  position  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean ! 
And  yet,  gentlemen,  on  the  honor  of  a  man  who  has 
seen  much  salt  water  in  his  time,  I  do  assure  you  the 
sea,  I  speak  of,  is  actually  there.  If  there  be  any 
thing  on  it,  or  in  it,  that  should  not  in  reason  be  so, 
this  worthy  commander  of  the  periagua  will  let  us 
know  the  rest." 

"A  wood- boat  from  the  inlet  says,  the  '  Skimmer 
of  the  Seas'  was  lately  seen  standing  along  the  coast," 
eturned  the  ferry-man,  in  the  tone  of  one  who  is 
ertain  of  delivering  matter  of  general- interest. 

"  Your  true  sea-dog,  who  runs  in  and  out  of  inlets, 
6  a  man  for  marvels ! "  coolly  observed  the  stranger. 
*  They  know  the  color  of  the  sea  at  night,  and  are 


44  THE   WATER-WITCH. 

for  ever  steering  in  the  wind's  eye  in  search  of  adven 
tures.  1  wonder,  more  of  them  are  not  kept  at  making 
almanacs !  There  was  a  mistake,  concerning  a  thun 
der-storm,  in  the  last  I  bought,  and  all  for  the  want 
of  proper  science.  And  pray,  friend,  who  is  this 
Skimmer  of  the  Seas,'  that  is  said  to  be  running  after 
his  needle,  like  a  tailor  who  has  found  a  hole  in  his 
neighbor's  coat  ? " 

"  The  witches  may  tell !  I  only  know  that  such  a 
rover  there  is,  and  thc~t  he  is  here  to-day,  and  there 
to-morrow.  Some  say,  it  is  only  a  craft  of  mist,  that 
skims  the  top  of  the  seas,  like  a  sailing  water-fowl ; 
and  others  think  it  is  the  sprite  of  a  vessel  that  wat 
rifled  and  burnt  by  Kidd,  in  the  Indian  Ocean,  look 
ing  for  its  gold  and  the  killed.  I  saw  him  once,  my 
self,  but  the  distance  was  so  great,  and  his  manoeu 
vres  so  unnatural,  that  I  could  hardly  give  a  good 
account  of  his  hull,  or  rig." 

"  This  is  matter  that  don't  get  into  the  log  every 
watch  !  Whereaway,  or  in  what  seas,  didst  meet 
the  thing?" 

"  'Twas  off  the  Branch.  We  were  fishing  in  thick 
weather,  and  when  the  mist  lifted,  a  little,  there  was 
a  craft  seen  standing  in-shore,  running  like  a  race 
horse  ;  but  while  we  got  our  anchor,  she  had  made 
a  league  of  offing,  on  the  other  tack  ! " 

"  A  certain  proof  of  either  her,  or  your,  activity  \ 
But  what  might  have  been  the  form  and  shape  of 
your  fly-away  ?  " 

"  Nothing  determined.  To  one  she  seemed  a  full- 
rigged  and  booming  ship ;  another  took  her  for  a  Ber- 
mudian  scudder,  while  to  me  she  had  the  look  of 
twenty  periaguas  built  into  a  single  craft.  It  is  well 
known,  however,  that  a  West-Indiaman  went  to  sea 
<hat  night,  and,  though  it  is  now  three  years,  no 
tidings  of  her,  or  her  crew,  have  ever  come  to  any 
in  York.  I  have  never  gone  upon  the  banks  to  fish, 
since  that  day,  in  thick  weather." 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  45 

*'  You  have  done  well,"  observed  the  stranger.  "  1 
have  seen  many  wonderful  sights,  myself,  on  the  roll 
ing  ocean ;  and  he,  whose  business  it  is  to  lay  be 
tween  wind  and  water,  like  you,  my  friend,  should 
never  triist  himself  within  reach  of  one  of  those  devil's 
lyers  I  could  tell  you  a  tale  of  an  affair  in  the 
*,alm  latitudes,  under  the  burning  sun,  that  would  be 
A  lesson  to  all  of  over-bold  curiosity!  Commission 
and  character  are  not  affairs  for  your  in-shore  coast 
er." 

"  We  have  time  to  hear  it,"  observed  the  Patroon, 
whose  attention  had  been  excited  by  the  discourse, 
and  who  read  in  the  dark  eye  of  Alida  that  she  felt 
an  interest  in  the  expected  narrative. 

But  the  countenance  of  the  stranger  suddenly 
grew  serious.  He  shook  his  head,  like  one  who  had 
sufficient  reasons  for  his  silence ;  and,  relinquishing 
the  tiller,  he  quite  coolly  obliged  a  gaping  country 
man,  in  the  centre  of  the  boat,  to  yield  his  place, 
where  he  laid  his  own  athletic  form,  at  full  lenpth, 
folded  his  arms  on  his  breast,  and  shut  his  eyes.  In 
fess  than  five  minutes,  all  vdthin  hearing  had  audible 
evidence  that  this  extraoi  linary  son  of  the  ocean 
was  in  a  sound  sleep. 


46  THE   WATER-WITCH. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

"—  Be  patient,  for  the  prize  I  '11  bring  thee  to, 
Shall  hoodwink  this  mischance  — ." 

TEMPEST 

THE  air,  audacity,  and  language  of  the  unknown 
mariner,  had  produced  a  marked  sensation  among 
the  passengers  of  the  periagua.  It  was  plain,  by  the 
playfulness  that  lurked  about  the  coal-black  eye  of 
la  belle  Barberie,  that  she  had  been  amused  by  his 
sarcasms,  though  the  boldness  of  his  manner  had 
caused  her  to  maintain  the  reserve  which  she  believ 
ed  necessary  to  her  sex  and  condition.  The  Patroon 
studied  the  countenance  of  his  mistress,  and,  though 
half  offended  by  the  freedom  of  the  intruder,  he  had 
believed  it  wisest  to  tolerate  his  liberties,  as  the  natu 
ral  excesses  of  a  spirit  that  had  been  lately  released 
from  the  monotony  of  a  sea-life.  The  repose  which 
usually  reigned  in  the  countenance  of  the  Alderman 
had  been  a  little  troubled ;  but  he  succeeded  in  con 
cealing  his  discontent  from  any  impertinent  observa 
tion.  When  the  chief  actor  in  the  foregoing  scene, 
therefore,  saw  fit  to  withdraw,  the  usual  tranquillity 
was  restored,  and  his  presence  appeared  to  be  for 
gotten. 

An  ebbing  tide  and  a  freshening  breeze  quickly 
carried  the  periagua  past  the  smaller  islands  of  the 
bay,  and  brought  the  cruiser  called  the  Coquette 
more  distinctly  into  view.  This  vessel,  a  ship  of  twenty 
guns,  lay  abreast  of  the  hamlet  on  the  shores  of  Stat- 
en  Island,  which  was  the  destination  of  the  ferry 
boat.  Here  was  the  usual  anchorage  of  outward 
bound  ships,  which  awaited  a  change  of  wind ;  and 
it  was  here,  that  vessels  then,  as  in  our  times,  were 
subject  to  those  examinations  and  delays  which  are 
imposed  for  the  safety  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  citv 


THE    WATER-WITCH  47 

The  Coquette  was  alone,  however ;  for  the  arrival 
of  a  trader,  from  a  distant  port,  was  an  event  of 
unfrequent  occurrence,  at  the  commencement  of  the 
eighteenth  century. 

The  course  of  the  periagua  brought  her  within 
ifty  feet  of  the  sloop-of-war.  As  the  former  ap 
proached,  a  movement  of  curiosity  and  interest  oc 
curred  among  those  she  contained. 

"  Take  more  room  for  your  milk-maid,"  grumbled 
the  Alderman,  observing  that  the  schipper  was  will 
ing  to  gratify  his  passengers,  by  running  as  near  as 
possible  to  the  dark  sides  of  the  cruiser.  "  Seas  and 
oceans !  is  not  York-bay  wide  enough,  that  you  must 
brush  the  dust  out  of  the  muzzles  of  the  guns  of  yon 
lazy  ship  ?  If  the  Queen  knew  how  her  money  was 
-jaten  and  drunk,  by  the  idle  knaves  aboard  her,  she 
would  send  them  all  to  hunt  for  freebooters  among 
the  islands.  Look  at  the  land,  Alida,  child,  and  you'll 
think  no  more  of  the  fright  the  gaping  dunce  is  giv 
ing  thee ;  he  only  wishes  to  show  his  skill  in  steering." 

But  the  niece  manifested  none  of  the  terror  that 
the  uncle  was  willing  to  ascribe  to  her  fears.  Instead 
of  turning  pale,  the  color  deepened  on  her  cheeks,  as 
the  periagua  came  dancing  along,  under  the  lee  of 
the  cruiser ;  and  if  her  respiration  became  quicker 
than  usual,  it  was  scarcely  produced  by  the  agitation 
of  alarm.  The  near  sight  of  the  tall  masts,  and  of 
the  maze  of  cordage  that  hung  nearly  above  their 
heads,  however,  prevented  the  change  from  being 
noted.  A  hundred  curious  eyes  were  already  peep 
ing  at  them,  through  the  ports,  or  over  the  bulwarks 
of  the  ship,  when  suddenly,  an  officer,  who  wore  the 
undress  of  a  naval  captain  of  that  day,  sprang  into 
the  main  rigging  of  the  cruiser,  and  saluted  the  party 
in  the  periagua,  by  waving  his  hat,  hurriedly,  like 
one  who  was  agreeably  taken  by  surprise. 

"  A  fair  sky  and  gentle  breezes  to  each  and  all ! " 
he  cried  with  the  hearty  manner  of  a  seaman.  "  1 


48  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

kiss  my  hand  to  the  fair  AHda ;  and  the  Alderman 
will  take  a  sailor's  good  wishes ;  Mr.  Van  Staats,  i 
salute  you." 

"Ay,"  muttered  the  burgher,  "your  idlers  have 
nothing  better  to  do,  than  to  make  words  answer  foi 
deeds.  A  lazy  war  and  a  distant  enemy  make  yoii 
seamen  the  lords  of  the  land,  Captain  Ludlow." 

Alida  blushed  still  deeper,  hesitated,  and  then,  by 
a  movement  that  was  half  involuntary,  she  waved 
her  handkerchief.  The  young  Patroon  arose,  and 
answered  the  salutation  by  a  courteous  bow.  By 
this  time  the  ferry-boat  was  nearly  past  the  ship,  and 
the  scowl  was  quitting  the  face  of  the  Alderman, 
when  the  mariner  of  the  India-shawl  sprang  to  his 
feet,  and,  in  a  moment,  he  stood  again  in  the  centre 
of  their  party. 

"A  pretty  sea-boat,  and  a  neat  show  aloft !"  he 
said,  as  his  understanding  eye  scanned  the  rigging  of 
the  royal  cruiser,  taking  the  tiller  at  the  same  time, 
with  all  his  former  indifference,  from  the  hands  of  the 
schipper.  "  Her  Majesty  should  have  good  service 
from  such  a  racer,  and  no  doubt  the  youth  in  her 
rigging  is  a  man  to  get  most  out  of  his  craft.  We'll 
take  another  observation.  Draw  away  your  head- 
sheet,  boy." 

The  stranger  had  put  the  helm  a-lee,  while  speak 
ing,  and  by  the  time  the  order  he  had  given  was 
uttered,  the  quick-working  boat  was  about,  and 
nearly  filled  on  the  other  tack.  In  another  minute, 
she  was  again  brushing  along  the  side  of  the  sloop- 
of-war.  A  common  complaint  against  this  hardy  in 
terference  with  the  regular  duty  of  the  boat,  was 
about  to  break  out  of  the  lips  of  the  Alderman  and 
the  schipper,  when  he  of  the  India-shawl  lifted  his 
cap,  and  addressed  the  officer  in  the  rigging,  with  all 
the  self-possession  he  had  manifested  in  the  inter 
course  with  those  nearer  his  person. 

*'  Has  Her  Majesty  need  of  a  man  in  her  service* 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  49 

who  has  seen,  in  his  time,  more  blue  water  than  hard 
ground ;  or  is  there  no  empty  berth  in  so  gallant  a 
cruiser,  for  one  who  must  do  a  seaman's  duty,  or 
starve?" 

The  descendant  of  the  king-hating  Ludlows,  as 
the  Lord  Cornbury  had  styled  the  race  of  the  con> 
mander  of  the  Coquette,  was  quite  as  much  surprised 
by  the  appearance  of  him  who  put  this  question,  as 
he  was  by  the  coolness  with  which  a  mariner  of 
ordinary  condition  presumed  to  address  an  officer  who 
bore  so  high  a  commission  as  his  own.  He  had,  how 
ever,  sufficient  time  to  recollect  in  whose  presence 
he  stood,  ere  he  replied,  for  the  stranger  had  again 
placed  the  helm  a-lee,  and  caused  the  foresail  to  be 
thrown  aback ; — a  change  that  made  the  periagua 
stationary. 

"  The  Queen  will  always  receive  a  bold  marinei 
in  her  pay,  if  he  come  prepared  to  serve  with  skill 
and  fidelity,"  he  said ;  "  as  a  proof  of  which,  let  a 
rope  be  thrown  the  periagua ;  we  shall  treat  more 
at  our  ease  under  Her  Majesty's  pennant.  I  shall 
be  proud  to  entertain  Alderman  Van  Beverout,  in 
the  mean  time :  and  a  cutter  will  always  be  at  his 
command,  when  he  shall  have  occasion  to  quit  us." 

"  Your  land-loving  Aldermen  find  their  way  from 
a  Queen's  cruiser  to  the  shore,  more  easily  than  a 
seaman  of  twenty  years'  experience ;"  returned  the 
other,  without  giving  the  burgher  time  to  express  hi 
thanks  for  the  polite  oner  of  the  other.    "  You  hav 
gone  through  the  Gibraltar  passage,  without  doubt, 
noble  captain,  being  a  gentleman  that  has  got  so  fine 
a  boat  under  his  orders?" 

"  Duty  has  taken  me  into  the  Italian  seas,  more 
than  once,"  answered  Ludlow,  half  disposed  to  re 
sent  this  familiarity,  though  too  anxious  to  keep  the 
periagua  near,  to  quarrel  with  him  who  so  evidently 
had  produced  the  unexpected  pleasure. 
E 


50  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

"  Then  you  know  that,  though  a  lady  might  fan  a 
ship  through  the  straits  eastward,  it  needs  a  Levant 
breeze  to  bring  her  out  again.  Her  Majesty's  pen 
nants  are  long,  and  when  they  get  foul  around  the 
limbs  of  a  thoroughly-bred  sea-dog,  it  passes  all  hi? 
art  to  clear  the  jam.  It  is  most  worthy  of  remark, 
that  the  better  the  seaman,  the  less  his  power  to  cast 
loose  the  knot!" 

"  If  the  pennant  be  so  long,  it  may  reach  farther 
than  you  wish ! — But  a  bold  volunteer  has  no  occa 
sion  to  dread  a  press." 

"  I  fear  the  berth  I  wish  is  filled,"  returned  the 
other,  curling  his  lip:  "let  draw  the  fore-sheet,  lad; 
we  will  take  our  departure,  leaving  the  fly  of  the 
pennant  well  under  our  lee.  Adieu,  brave  Captain  ; 
when  you  have  need  of  a  thorough  rover,  and  dream 
of  stern-chases  and  wet  sails,  think  of  him  who  visit 
ed  your  ship  at  her  lazy  moorings." 

Ludlow  bit  his  lip,  and  though  his  fine  face  redden 
ed  to  the  temples,  he  met  the  arch  glance  of  Alida, 
and  laughed.  But  he  who  had  so  hardily  braved  the 
resentment  of  a  man,  powerful  as  the  commander 
of  a  royal  cruiser  in  a  British  colony,  appeared  to 
understand  the  hazard  of  his  situation.  The  periagua 
whirled  round  on  her  heel,  and  the  next  minute  it 
was  bending  to  the  breeze,  and  dashing  through  the 
little  waves  towards  the  shore.  Three  boats  left  the 
cruiser  at  the  same  moment.  One,  which  evidently 
contained  her  captain,  advanced  with  the  usual  dig 
nified  movement  of  a  barge  landing  an  officer  of  rank, 
but  the  others  were  urged  ahead  with  all  the  ear 
nestness  of  a  hot  chase. 

"  Unless  disposed  to  serve  the  Queen,  you  have 
not  done  well,  my  friend,  to  brave  one  of  her  com 
manders  at  the  muzzles  of  his  guns,'  observed  the 
Patroon,  so  soon  as  the  state  of  the  case  became  too 
evident  to  doubt  of  the  intentions  of  the  man-of-war's 
men. 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  51 

"  That  Captain  Ludlow  would  gladly  take  some  of 
js  out  of  this  boat,  by  fair  means  or  by  foul,  is  a  fact 
clear  as  a  bright  star  in  a  cloudless  night ;  and,  well 
knowing  a  seaman's  duty  to  his  superiors,  I  shall 
leave  him  to  his  choice." 

"  In  which  case  you  will  shortly  eat  Her  Majesty* 
bread,"  pithily  returned  the  Alderman. 

"  The  food  Is  unpalatable,  and  I  reject  it — and 
vet  here  is  a  boat,  whose  crew  seem  determined  to 
make  one  swallow  worse  fare." 

The  unknown  mariner  ceased  speaking,  for  the 
situation  of  the  periagua,  was  truly  getting  to  be  a 
little  critical.  At  least  so  it  seemed  to  the  less-in 
structed  landsmen,  who  were  witnesses  of  this  un 
expected  rencontre.  As  the  ferry-boat  had  drawn  in 
with  the  island,  the  wind  hauled  more  through  the 
pass  which  communicates  with  the  outer  bay,  and 
it  became  necessary  to  heave  about,  twice,  in  order 
to  fetch  to  windward  of  the  usual  landing-place. 
The  first  of  these  manoeuvres  had  been  executed, 
and  as  it  necessarily  changed  their  course,  the  passen 
gers  saw  that  the  cutter  to  which  the  stranger  al 
luded  was  enabled  to  get  within-shore  of  them;  or 
nearer  to  the  wharf,  where  they  ought  to  land,  than 
they  were  themselves.  Instead  of  suffering  himself 
to  be  led  off  by  a  pursuit,  that  he  knew  might  easily 
be  rendered  useless,  the  officer  who  commanded  this 
boat  cheered  his  men,  and  pulled  swiftly  to  the  point 
of  debarkation.  On  the  other  hand,  a  second  cutter, 
which  had  already  reached  the  line  of  the  periagua?s 
course,  lay  on  its  oars,  and  awaited  its  approach. 
The  unknown  mariner  manifested  no  intention  to 
avoid  the  interview.  He  still  held  the  tiller,  and  as 
effectually  commanded  the  little  vessel  as  if  his  au 
thority  were  of  a  more  regular  character.  The  au 
dacity  and  decision  of  his  air  and  conduct,  aided  by 
the  consummate  manner  in  which  he  worked  the 
ooat,  might  alone  have  achieved  this  momentary 


62  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

usurpation,  had  not  the  general  feeling  against  im» 
pressmen t  been  so  much  in  his  favor. 

"  The  devil's  fangs!"  grumbled  the  schipper.  "If 
you  should  keep  the  Milk-Maid  away,  we  shall  lose 
a  little  in  distance,  though  I  think  the  man-of-war' 
men  will  be  puzzled  to  catch  her,  with  a  flowing 
heet!" 

"  The  Queen  has  sent  a  message  by  the  gentle 
man,"  the  mariner  rejoined  :  "  it  would  be  unman 
nerly  to  refuse  to  hear  it." 

"Heave-to,  the  periagua!"  shouted  the  young 
officer,  in  the  cutter.  "  In  Her  Majesty's  name,  I 
command  you,  obey." 

"God  bless  the  royal  lady!"  returned  he  of  the 
foul  anchors  and  gay  shawl,  while  the  swift  ferry 
boat  continued  to  dash  ahead.  "  We  owe  her  duty, 
and  are  glad  to  see  so  proper  a  gentleman  employed 
in  her  behalf." 

By  this  time  the  boats  were  fifty  feet  asunder. 
No  sooner  was  there  room,  than  the  periagua  once 
more  flew  round,  and  commenced  anew  its  course, 
dashing  in  again  towards  the  shore.  It  was  necessary, 
however,  to  venture  within  an  oar's-length  of  the 
cutter,  or  to  keep  away, — a  loss  of  ground  to  which 
he  who  controlled  her  movements  showed  no  disposi 
tion  to  submit.  The  officer  arose,  and,  as  the  periagua 
drew  near,  it  was  evident  his  hand  held  a  pistol, 
though  he  seemed  reluctant  to  exhibit  the  weapon. 
The  mariner  stepped  aside,  in  a  manner  to  offer  a 
full  view  of  all  in  his  group,  as  he  sarcastically  ob 
served — 

"  Choose  your  object,  Sir ;  in  such  a  party,  a  man 
of  sentiment  may  have  a  preference." 

The  young  man  colored,  as  much  with  shame  at 
he  degrading  duty  he  had  been  commissioned  to 
perform,  as  with  vexation  at  his  failure.  Recovering 
his  self-composure,  however,  he  lifted  his  hat  to  la 
belle  Barberie,  and  the  periagua  dashed  on,  in  tri 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  53 

amph.  Still  the  leading  cutter  was  near  the  shore, 
where  it  soon  arrived,  the  crew  lying  on  their  oars 
at  the  end  of  the  wharf,  in  evident  expectation  of 
the  arrival  of  the  ferry-boat.  At  this  sight,  the  schip- 
per  shook  his  head,  and  looked  up  in  the  bold  face 
of  his  passenger,  in  a  manner  to  betray  how  much 
his  mind  misgave  the.  result.  But  the  tall  mariner 
maintained  his  coolness,  and  began  to  make  merry 
allusions  to  the  service  which  he  had  braved  with  so 
much  temerity,  and  from  which  no  one  believed  he 
was  yet  likely  to  escape.  By  the  former  manoeuvres, 
the  periagua  had  gained  a  position  well  to  windward 
of  the  wharf;  and  she  was  now  steered  close  upon 
the  wind,  directly  for  the  shore.  Against  the  conse 
quences  of  a  perseverance  in  this  course,  however, 
the  schipper  saw  fit  to  remonstrate. 

"  Shipwrecks  and  rocky  bottoms!"  exclaimed  the 
alarmed  waterman.  "  A  Holland  galliot  would  go  to 
pieces,  if  you  should  run  her  in  among  those  stepping- 
stones,  with  this  breeze  !  No  honest  boatman  loves  to 
see  a  man  stowed  in  a  cruiser's  hold,  like  a  thief 
caged  in  his  prison ;  but  when  it  comes  to  breaking 
the  nose  of  the  Milk-Maid,  it  is  asking  too  much  of 
her  owner,  to  stand  by  and  look  on." 

"  There  shall  not  be  a  dimple  of  her  lovely  coun 
tenance  deranged,"  answered  his  cool  passenger. 
''Now,  lower  away  your  sails,  and  we'll  run  along 
the  shore,  down  to  yon  wharf.  'Twould  be  an  un- 
gallant  act  to  treat  the  dairy-girl  viith  so  little  cere 
mony,  gentlemen,  after  the  lively  foot  and  quick  evo 
lutions  she  has  shown  in  our  behalf.  The  best  dancer 
in  the  island  could  not  have  better  played  her  part, 
though  jigging  under  the  music  of  a  three-stringed 
fiddle!" 

By  this  time  the  sails  were  lowered,  and  the  pe:i- 
agua  was  gliding  down  towards  the  place  of  land 
ing,  running  always  at  the  distance  of  some  fifty  feet 
from  the  shore. 

E2 


54  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

"  Every  craft  has  its  allotted  time,  like  a  mortal,*' 
continued  the  inexplicable  mariner  of  the  India- 
shawl.  "  If  she  is  to  die  a  sudden  death,  there  is 
your  beam-end  and  stern-way,  which  takes  her  into 
the  grave  without  funeral  service,  or  parish  prayers; 
your  dropsy  is  being  water-logged  ;  gout  and  rheuma 
tism  kill  like  a  broken  back  and  loose  joints ;  indi 
gestion  is  a  shifting  cargo,  with  guns  adrift ;  the  gal 
lows  is  a  bottomry-bond,  with  lawyers'  fees;  while 
fire,  drowning,  death  by  religious  melancholy,  and 
suicide,  are  a  careless  gunner,  sunken  rocks,  false 
lights,  and  a  lubberly  captain." 

Ere  any  were  apprized  of  his  intention,  this 
singular  being  then  sprang  from  the  boat  on  the  cap 
of  a  little  rock,  over  which  the  waves  were  washing, 
whence  he  bounded,  from  stone  to  stone,  by  vigorous 
efforts,  till  he  fairly  leaped  to  land.  In  another 
minute,  he  was  lost  to  view,  among  the  dwellings  of 
the  hamlet. 

The  arrival  of  the  periagua,  which  immediately 
after  reached  the  wharf,  the  disappointment  of  the 
cutter's  crew,  and  the  return  of  both  the  bonts  to 
their  ship,  succeeded  as  matters  of  course. 


THE    WATER-\VITCH.  55 


CHAPTER  V. 

Oliv.  "Did  he  write  this'" 
do.  "Ay,  Madam," 

WHAT  YOU  WILL 

IF  we  say  that  Alida  de  Barberie  did  not  cast  a 
glance  behind  her,  as  the  party  quitted  the  wharf, 
in  order  to  see  whether  the  boat  that  contained  the 
commander  of  the  cruiser  followed  the  example  of 
the  others,  we  shall  probably  portray  the  maiden 
as  one  that  was  less  subject  to  the  influence  of  co 
quetry  than  the  truth  would  justify.  To  the  great 
discontent  of  the  Alderman,  whatever  might  have 
been  the  feelings  of  his  niece,  on  the  occasion,  the 
barge  continued  to  approach  the  shore,  in  a  manner 
which  showed  that  the  young  seaman  betrayed  no 
visible  interest  in  the  result  of  the  chase. 

The  heights  of  Staten  Island,  a  century  ago,  were 
covered,  much  as  they  are  at  present,  with  a  growth 
of  dwarf-trees.  Foot-paths  led  among  this  meagre 
vegetation,  in  divers  directions ;  and  as  the  hamlet  at 
the  Quarantine-Ground  was  the  point  whence  they 
all  diverged,  it  required  a  practised  guide  to  thread 
their  mazes,  without  a  loss  of  both  time  and  distance. 
It  would  seem,  however,  that  the  worthy  burgher 
was  fully  equal  to  the  office ;  for,  moving  with  more 
than  his  usual  agility,  he  soon  led  his  companions  into 
the  wood,  and,  by  frequently  altering  his  course,  so 
completely  confounded  their  sense  of  the  relative 
bearings  of  places,  that  it  is  not  probable  one  of  them 
all  could  very  readily  have  extricated  himself  from 
the  labyrinth. 

'•Clouds  and  shady  bowers!"  exclaimed  Myndert, 
when  he  had  achieved,  to  his  own  satisfaction,  this 
evasion  of  the  pursuit  he  wished  to  avoid;  '"little 
oaks  and  green  pines  are  pleasant  on  a  June  morn* 


56  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

ing.  You  shall  have  mountain  air  arid  a  sea-breeze. 
Patroon,  to  quicken  the. appetite  at  the  Lust  in  Rust 
If  Alida  will  speak,  the  girl  can  say  that  a  mouthful 
of  the  elixir  is  better  for  a  rosy  check,  than  all  the 
concoctions  and  washes  that  were  ever  invented  to 
give  a  man  a  heart-ache." 

"  If  the  place  be  as  much  changed  as  the  road 
that  leads  to  it,"  returned  la  belle  Barberie,  glancing 
her  dark  eye,  in  vain,  in  the  direction  of  the  bay 
they  had  quitted,  "  I  should  scarcely  venture  an 
opinion  on  a  subject  of  which  I  am  obliged  to  confess 
utter  ignorance.'* 

"  Ah,  woman  is  nought  but  vanities  J  To  see  and 
to  be  seen,  is  the  delight  of  the  sex.  Though  we  are 
a  thousand  times  more  comfortable  in  this  wood  than 
we  should  be  in  walking  along  the  water-side,  why, 
the  sea-gulls  and  snipes  lose  the  benefit  of  our  com 
pany  !  The  salt  water,  and  all  who  live  on  it,  are  to 
be  avoided  by  a  wise  man,  Mr.  Van  Staats,  except 
as  they  both  serve  to  cheapen  freight  and  to  render 
trade  brisk.  You'll  thank  me  for  this  care,  niece  of 
mine,  when  you  reach  the  bluff,  cool  as  a  package 
of  furs  free  from  moth,  and  fresh  and  beautiful  as  a 
Holland  tulip,  with  the  dew  on  it." 

"  To  resemble  the  latter,  one  might  consent  to  walk 
blindfold,  dearest  uncle ;  and  so  we  dismiss  the  sub- 
iect.  Francois,  fais  moi  le  plaisir  de  porter  ce  petit 
livre ;  malgre  la  fraicheur  de  la  foret,  j'ai  besoin  de 
m'  evanter." 

The  valet  took  the  book,  with  an  empressement 
*hat  defeated  the  more  tardy  politeness  of  the  Pa 
troon  ;  and  when  he  saw,  by  the  vexed  eye  and  flush 
ed  cheek  of  his  young  mistress,  that  she  was  incom 
moded  rather  by  an  internal  than  by  the  external 
heat,  he  whispered  considerately, — 

"  Que  ma  chere  Mademoiselle  Alide  ne  se  fache 
pas  i  Elle  ne  manquerait  jamais  d'admirateurs,  dans 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  57 

un  desert.    Ah !  si  Mam'selle  allait  vor  la  patrie  de 
ses  ancetres  ! — " 

"  'Merci  bien,  mon  cher ;  gardez  les  feuilles,  forte- 
ment  fermees.  II  y  a  des  papiers  dedans." 

"  Monsieur  Francois,"  said  the  Alderman,  separa 
ting  his  niece,  with  little  ceremony,  from  her  nearly 
parental  attendant,  hy  the  interposition  of  his  own 
bulky  person,  and  motioning  for  the  others  to  proceed, 
"  a  word  with  thee  in  confidence.  I  have  noted,  in 
the  course  of  a  busy  and  I  hope  a  profitable  life,  tht 
a  faithful  servant  is  an  honest  counsellor.  Next  tr 
Holland  and  England,  both  of  which  are  great  com 
mercial  nations,  and  the  Indies,  which  are  necessary 
to  these  colonies,  together  with  a  natural  preference 
for  the  land  in  which  I  was  born,  I  have  always  been 
of  opinion,  that  France  is  a  very  good  sort  of  a  coun 
try.  I  think,  Mr.  Francis,  that  dislike  to  the  seas 
has  kept  you  from  returning  thither,  since  the  decease 
of  my  late  brother-in-law?" 

"Wid  like  for  Mam'selle  Alide,  Monsieur,  avec 
votre  permission." 

"  Your  affection  for  my  niece,  honest  Francois,  is 
not  to  be  doubted.  It  is  as  certain  as  the  payment 
of  a  good  draft,  by  Crommeline,  Van  Stopper,  and 
Van  Gelt,  of  Amsterdam.  Ah  !  old  valet !  she  is  fresh 
and  blooming  as  a  rose,  and  a  girl  of  excellent  quali 
ties  !  'Tis  a  pity  that  she  is  a  little  opinionated ;  a 
defect  that  she  doubtless  inherits  from  her  Norman 
ancestors ;  since  all  of  my  family  have  ever  been  re 
markable  for  listening  to  reason.  The  Normans  were 
an  obstinate  race,  as  witness  the  siege  of  Rochelle, 
by  which  oversight  real  estate  in  that  city  must 
have  lost  much  in  value  !" 

"  Mille  excuses,  Monsieur  Bevre' ;  more  beau 

tiful  as  de  rose,  and  no  opinatre  du  tout.    Mon  Dieu . 
pour  sa  qualite,  c'est  une  famille  tres  ancienne." 

"That  was  a  weak  point  with  my  brother  Barberie, 
and,  after  all,  it  did  not  add  a  cipher  to  the  sum-total 


68  THE   WATER-WITCH 

of  the  assets.  The  best  blood,  Mr.  Francois,  is  that 
which  has  been  best  fed.  The  line  of  Hugh  Cape* 
himself  would  fail,  without  the  butcher;  and  the 
butcher  would  certainly  fail,  without  customers  that 
can  pay.  Francois,  thou  art  a  man  who  understands 
the  value  of  a  suie  footing  in  the  world;  would  it 
not  be  a  thousand  pities,  that  such  a  girl  as  Alida 
should  throw  herself  away  on  one  whose  best  found 
ation  is  no  better  than  a  rolling  ship  1 " 

"  Certainement,  Monsieur ;  Mam'selle  be  too  good 
to  roll  in  de  ship." 

"  Obliged  to  follow  a  husband,  up  and  down ; 
among  freebooters  and  dishonest  traders;  in  fair 
weather  and  foul ;  hot  and  cold  ;  wet  and  dry  ;  bilge- 
water  and  salt-water ;  cramps  and  nausea ;  salt-junk 
and  no  junk ;  gales  and  calms, — and  all  for  a  hasty 
judgment  formed  in  sanguine  youth." 

The  face  of  the  valet  had  responded  to  the  Al 
derman's  enumeration  of  the  evils  that  would  at 
tend  so  ill-judged  a  step  in  his  niece,  as  faithfully  as 
if  each  muscle  had  been  a  mirror,  to  reflect  the  con 
tortions  of  one  suffering  under  the  malady  of  the  sea. 

"  Parbleu,  c'est  horrible  cette  mer ! "  he  ejaculated, 
when  the  other  had  done.  "  It  is  grand  malheur, 
dere  should  be  watair  but  for  drink,  and  for  la  pro- 
prete,  avec  fosse  to  keep  de  carp  round  le  chateau. 
Mais,  Mam'selle  be  no  haste  jugement,  and  she  shall 
have  mari  on  la  terre  solide." 

"  'Twould  be  better,  that  the  estate  of  my  bro 
ther-in-law  should  be  kept  in  sight,  judicious  Fran- 
<jois,  than  to  be  sent  adrift  on  the  high  seas." 

"  Dere  vas  marin  dans  la  famille  de  Barberie, 
nevair." 

"  Bonds  and  balances !  if  the  savings  of  one  I  could 

ame,  frugal  Francois,  were  added  in  current  coin 

the  sum-total  would  sink  a  common  ship.  You  knovs 

it  is  my  intention  to  remember  Alicia,  in  settling  ac 

counts  with  the  world." 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  59 

"  If  Monsieur  de  Barberie  vas  'live,  Monsieur 
Alderman,  he  should  say  des  choses  convenables; 
mais,  malheureusement,  mon  cher,  maitre  est  mort ; 
and,  sair,  I  shall  be  bold  to  remercier  pour  lui,  et 
pour  toute  sa  famille." 

"  Women  are  perverse,  and  sometimes  they  have 
pleasure  in  doing  the  very  thing  they  are  desired 
not  to  do." 

"  Ma  foi,  oui !" 

"  Prudent  men  should  manage  them  with  soft 
words  and  rich  gifts ;  with  these,  they  become  or 
derly  as  a  pair  of  well-broke  geldings." 

"  Monsieur  know,"  said  the  old  valet,  rubbing  his 
hands,  and  laughing  with  the  subdued  voice  of  a 
well-bred  domestic,  though  he  could  not  conceal  a 
jocular  wink ;  "  pourtant  il  est  garc^on !  Le  cadeau 
be  good  for  de  demoiselles,  and  bettair  as  for  de 
dames." 

"  Wedlock  and  blinkers !  it  is  we  gassons,  as  you 
call  us,  who  ought  to  know.  Your  hen-pecked  hus 
band  has  no  time  to  generalize  among  the  sex,  in 
order  to  understand  the  real  quality  of  the  article. 
Now,  here  is  Van  Staats  of  Kinderhook,  faithful 
Francois;  what  think  you  of  such  a  youth  for  a 
husband  for  Alida?" 

"  Pourtant,  Mam'selle  like  de  vivacite ;  Monsieur 
le  Patroon  be  nevair  trop  vif." 

"  The  more  likely  to  be  sure — Hist,  I  hear  a  foot 
step.  We  are  followed — chased,  perhaps,  I  should 
say,  to  speak  in  the  language  of  these  sea-gentry. 
Now  is  the  time  to  show  this  Captain  Ludlow,  how 
a  Frenchman  can  wind  him  round  his  finger,  on 
terra-firma.  Loiter  in  the  rear,  and  draw  our  navi 
gator  on  a  wrong  course.  When  he  has  run  into  a 
fog,  come  yourself,  with  all  speed,  to  the  oak  on  the 
bluff!  There  we  shall  await  you." 

Flattered  by  this  confidence,  and  really  persuaded 
that  he  was  furthering  the  happiness  of  her  he 


60  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

served,  the  old  valet  nodded,  in  reply  to  the  Alder 
man's  wink  and  chuckle,  and  immediately  relaxed 
his  speed.  The  former  pushed  ahead ;  and,  in  a 
minute,  he  and  those  who  followed  had  turned  short 
to  the  left,  and  were  out  of  sight. 

Though  faithfully  and  even  affectionately  attached 
to  Alida,  ner  servant  had  many  of  the  qualifications 
of  an  European  domestic.  Trained  in  all  the  ruses 
of  his  profession,  he  was  of  that  school  which  be 
lieves  civilization  is  to  be  measured  by  artifice ;  and 
success  lost  some  of  its  value,  when  it  had  been  ef 
fected  by  the  vulgar  machinery  of  truth  and  common 
sense.  No  wonder  then  the  retainer  entered  into 
the  views  of  the  Alderman,  with  more  than  a  usual 
relish  for  the  duty.  He  heard  the  cracking  of  the 
dried  twigs  beneath  the  footstep  of  him  who  followed  ; 
and  in  order  that  there  might  be  no  chance  of  miss 
ing  the  desired  interview,  the  valet  began  to  hum  a 
French  air,  in  so  loud  a  key,  as  to  be  certain  the 
sounds  would  reach  any  ear  that  was  nigh.  The 
twigs  snapped  more  rapidly,  the  footsteps  seemed 
nearer,  and  then  the  hero  of  the  India-shawl  sprang 
to  the  side  of  the  expecting  Francois. 

The  disappointment  seemed  mutual,  and  on  the 
part  of  the  domestic  it  entirely  disconcerted  all  his 
pre-arranged  schemes  for  misleading  the  commander 
of  the  Coquette.  Not  so  with  the  bold  mariner.  So 
far  from  his  self-possession  being  disturbed,  it  would 
have  been  no  easy  matter  to  restrain  his  audacity, 
even  in  situations  far  more  trying  than  any  in  which 
he  has  yet  been  presented  to  the  reader. 

"  What  cheer,  in  thy  woodland  cruise,  Monsieur 
Broad-Pennant?"  he  said,  with  infinite  coolness,  the 
instant  his  steady  glance  had  ascertained  they  were 
alone.  "  This  is  safer  navigation  for  an  officer  of  thy 
draught  of  water,  than  running  about  the  bay,  in  a 
periagua.  What  may  be  the  longitude,  and  where 
a- way  did  you  part  company  from  the  consorts  ? " 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  6, 

"  Sair,  I  valk  in  de  vood  for  de  plaisir,  and  1  go 
on  de  bay  for  de — parbleu,  non !  'tis  to  follow  ma 
jeune  maitresse  I  go  on  de  bay;  and,  sair,  I  wish  dey 
who  do  love  de  bay  and  de  sea,  would  not  come  into 
le  vood,  du  tout." 

"  Well  spoken,  and  with  ample  spirit ; — what,  a 
tudent  too !  one  in  a  wood  should  glean  something 
from  his  labors.  Is  it  the  art  of  furling  a  main  cue, 
that  is  taught  in  this  pretty  volume?" 

As  the  mariner  put  his  question,  he  very  delibe 
rately  took  the  book  from  Francois,  who,  instead  of 
resenting  the  liberty,  rather  offered  the  volume,  in 
exultation. 

"  No.  sair,  it  is  not  how  to  furl  la  queue,  but  how 
to  touch  de  soul ;  not  de  art  to  liaui  over  de  calm, 
but — oui,  c'est  plein  de  connoissance  et  d'  esprit  ! 
Ah!  ha!  you  know  de  Cid!  le  grand  homme  !  1'homme 
de  genie  !  If  you  read,  Monsieur  Marin,  you  shall 
see  la  vraie  poesie !  Not  de  big  book  and  no  single 
rhyme — Sair,  I  do  not  vish  to  say  vat  is  penible,  mais 
it  is  not  one  book  widout  rhyme ;  it  was  not  ecrit  on 
de  sea.  Le  diable !  que  le  vrai  genie,  et  les  nobles 
sentiments,  se  trouvent  dans  ce  livre,  la !" 

"  Ay,  I  see  it  is  a  log-book,  for  every  man  to  note 
his  mind  in.  I  return  you  Master  Cid,  with  his  fine 
sentiments,  in  the  bargain.  Great  as  was  his  genius, 
it  would  seem  he  was  not  the  man  to  write  all  that 
I  find  between  the  leaves." 

"  He  not  write  him  all !  Yes,  sair,  he  shall  writ 
him  six  time  more  dan  all,  if  la  France  a  besoin. 
Que  1'envie  de  ces  Anglais  se  decouvre  quand  on  parle 
des  beaux  genies  de  la  France  ! " 

"  I  will  only  say,  if  the  gentleman  wrote  the  whole 
that  is  in  the  book,  and  it  is  as  fine  as  you  would 
make  a  plain  seafaring  man  believe,  he  did  wrong 
not  to  print  it." 

"  Print!"  echoed  Francois,  opening  his  eyes, 
F 


62  THE   WATER-WITCH. 

the  volume,  by  a  common  impulse.    "  Imprime  !  ha 
here  is  papier  of  Mam'selle  Alide,  assurement." 

"  Take  better  heed  of  it  then,"  interrupted  the 
seaman  of  the  shawl.  "  As  for  your  Cid,  to  me  it  i« 
an  useless  volume,  since  it  teaches  neither  the  lati 
tude  of  a  shoal,  nor  the  shape  of  a  coast." 

"  Sair,  it  teach  de  morale ;  de  rock  of  de  passion 
et  les  grands  mouvements  de  1'ame  !  Oui,  Sair ;  it 
teach  all,  un  Monsieur  vish  to  know.  Tout  le  monde 
read  him  in  la  France ;  en  province,  comme  en  ville. 
If  sa  Majeste,  le  Grand  Louis,  be  not  so  mal  avise, 
as  to  chasser  Messieurs  les  Huguenots  from  his  roy- 
aume,  I  shall  go  to  Paris,  to  hear  le  Cid,  moi-meme  !" 

"  A  good  journey  to  you,  Monsieur  Cue.  We  may 
meet  on  the  road,  until  which  time  I  take  my  de 
parture.  The  day  may  come,  when  we  shall  con 
verse  with  a  rolling  sea  beneath  us.  Till  then,  brave 
cheer !" 

"  Adieu,  Monsieur,"  returned  Francois,  bowing 
with  a  politeness  that  had  become  too  familiar  to  be 
forgotten.  "  If  we  do  not  meet  but  in  de  sea,  we 
shall  not  meet,  nevair.  Ah,  ha,  ha  !  Monsieur  le 
Marin  n'aime  pas  a  entendre  parler  de  la  gloire  de 
la  France  !  Je  voudrais  bien  savoir  lire  ce  f — e  Shak- 
a-spear,  pour  voir,  combien  1'immortel  Corneille  lui 
est  superieur.  Ma  foi,  oui ;  Monsieur  Pierre  Corneille 
est  vraiment  un  homme  illustre  ! " 

The  faithful,  self-complacent,  and  aged  valet  then 
pursued  his  way  towards  the  large  oak  on  the  bluff; 
for  as  he  ceased  speaking,  the  mariner  of  the  gay 
sash  had  turned  deeper  into  the  woods,  and  left  him 
alone.  Proud  of  the  manner,  in  which  he  had  met 
*he  audacity  of  the  stranger,  prouder  still  of  the 
eputation  of  the  author,  whose  fame  had  been 
nown  in  France  long  before  his  own  departure  from 
Europe,  and  not  a  little  consoled  with  the  reflection 
*hat  he  had  contributed  his  mite  to  support  the  honoi 
of  his  distant  and  well-beloved  country,  the  honest 


THE   WATER-WITCH.  63 

Francois  pressed  the  volume  affectionately  beneath 
his  arm,  and  hastened  on  after  his  mistress. 

Though  the  position  of  Staten  Island  and  its  sur 
rounding  bays  is  so  familiar  to  the  Manhattanese  an 
explanation  of  the  localities  may  be  agreeable  to 
readers  who  dwell  at  a  distance  from  the  scene  of 
the  tale. 

It  has  already  been  said,  that  the  principal  com 
munication  between  the  bays  of  Raritan  and  York, 
is  called  the  Narrows.  At  the  mouth  of  this  passage, 
the  land  on  Staten  Island  rises  in  a  high  bluff,  which* 
overhangs  the  water,  not  unlike  the  tale-fraught 
cape  of  Misenum.  From  this  elevated  point,  the 
eye  not  only  commands  a  view  of  both  estuaries  and 
the  city,  but  it  looks  far  beyond  the  point  of  Sandy- 
Hook,  into  the  open  sea.  It  is  here  that,  in  our  own 
days,  ships  are  first  noted  in  the  offing,  and  whence 
the  news  of  the  approach  of  his  vessel  is  communi 
cated  to  the  expecting  merchant  by  means  of  the 
telegraph.  In  the  early  part  of  the  last  century, 
arrivals  were  too  rare  to  support  such  an  establish 
ment.  The  bluff  was  therefore  little  resorted  to,  ex 
cept  by  some  occasional  admirer  of  scenery,  or  by 
those  countrymen  whom  business,  at  long  intervals, 
drew  to  the  spot.  It  had  been  early  cleared  of  its 
wood,  and  the  oak  already  mentioned  was  the  only 
tree  standing  in  a  space  of  some  ten  or  a  dozen 
acres. 

It  has  been  seen  that  Alderman  Van  Beverout  had 
appointed  this  solitary  oak,  as  the  place  of  rendez 
vous  with  Francois.  Thither  then  he  took  his  way 
on  parting  from  the  valet,  and  to  this  spot  we  must 
now  transfer  the  scene.  A  rude  seat  had  been  placed 
around  the  root  of  the  tree,  and  here  the  whole 
party,  with  the  exception  of  the  absent  domestic, 
were  soon  seated.  In  a  minute,  however,  they  were 
joined  by  the  exulting  Francois,  who  immediately 


64  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

related  the  particulars  of  his  recent  interview  with 
the  stranger. 

"  A  clear  conscience,  with  cordial  friends,  and  a 
fair  balance-sheet,  may  keep  a  man  warm  in  Janu 
ary,  even  in  this  climate,"  said  the  Alderman,  willing 
to  turn  ';he  discourse  ;  "  but  what  with  rebellious 
blacks,  hot  streets,  and  spoiling  furs,  it  passeth  mortal 
powers  to  keep  cool  in  yonder  overgrown  and 
crowded  town.  Thou  seest,  Patroon,  the  spot  of 
white  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  bay. — Breezes  and 
fanning !  that  is  the  Lust  in  Rust,  where  cordial  en 
ters  the  mouth  at  every  breath,  and  where  a  man 
has  room  to  cast  up  the  sum-total  of  his  thoughts, 
any  hour  in  the  twenty-four." 

"  We  seem  quite  as  effectually  alone  on  this  hill, 
with  the  advantage  of  having  a  city  in  the  view," 
remarked  Alida,  with  an  emphasis  that  showed  she 
meant  even  more  than  she  expressed. 

"  We  are  by  ourselves,  niece  of  mine,"  returned 
the  Alderman,  rubbing  his  hands  as  if  he  secretly 
felicitated  himself  that  the  fact  were  so.  "  That 
truth  cannot  be  denied,  and  good  company  we  are, 
though  the  opinion  comes  from  one  who  is  not  a 
cipher  in  the  party.  Modesty  is  a  poor  man's  wealth, 
but  as  we  grow  substantial  in  the  world,  Patroon, 
one  can  afford  to  begin  to  speak  truth  of  himself,  as 
well  as  of  his  neighbor." 

"  In  which  case,  little,  but  good,  will  be  uttered 
from  the  mouth  of  Alderman  Van  Beverout,"  said 
Ludlow,  appearing  so  suddenly  from  behind  the  root 
of  the  tree,  as  effectually  to  shut  the  mouth  of  the 
burgher.  "  My  desire  to  offer  the  services  of  the 
ship  to  your  party,  has  led  to  this  abrupt  intrusion, 
and  I  hope  will  obtain  its  pardon." 

"  The  power  to  forgive  is  a  prerogative  of  the 
Governor,  who  represents  the  Queen,"  drily  returned 
the  Alderman.  "  If  Her  Majesty  has  so  little  em 
ployment  for  her  cruisers,  that  their  captains  can 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  65 

dispose  of  them,  in  behalf  of  old  men  and  young 
maidens — why,  happy  is  the  age,  and  commerce 
should  flourish!" 

"  If  the  two  duties  are  compatible,  the  greater  the 
reason  why  a  commander  should  felicitate  himself 
that  he  may  be  of  service  to  so  many.  You  are 
bound  to  the  Jersey  Highlands,  Mr.  Van  Beverout?" 

"  I  am  bound  to  a  comfortable  and  very  private 
abode,  called  the  Lust  in  Rust,  Captain  Cornelius 
Van  Cuyler  Ludlow." 

The  young  man  bit  his  lip,  and  his  healthful  but 
brown  cheek  flushed  a  deeper  red  than  common, 
though  he  preserved  his  composure. 

"  And  I  am  bound  to  sea,"  he  soon  said.  "  The 
wind  is  getting  fresh,  and  your  boat,  which  I  see,  at 
this  moment,  standing  in  for  the  islands,  will  find  it 
difficult  to  make  way  against  its  force.  The  Co 
quette's  anchor  will  be  aweigh,  in  twenty  minutes ; 
and  I  shall  find  two  hours  of  an  ebbing  tide,  and  a 
top-gallant  breeze,  but  too  short  a  time  for  the  plea 
sure  of  entertaining  such  guests.  I  am  certain  that 
the  fears  of  la  Belle  will  favor  my  wishes,  whichso 
ever  side  of  the  question  her  inclinations  may  happen 
to  be." 

"  And  they  are  with  her  uncle ;"  quickly  returned 
Alida.  "  I  am  so  little  of  a  sailor,  that  prudence,  if 
not  pusillanimity,  teaches  me  to  depend  on  the  expe 
rience  of  older  heads." 

"  Older  I  may  not  pretend  to  be,"  said  Ludlow, 
coloring ;"  but  Mr.  Van  Beverout  will  see  no  preten 
sion  in  believing  myself  as  good  a  judge  of  wind  and 
tide,  as  even  he  himself  can  be." 

"  You  are  said  to  command  Her  Majesty's  sloop 
with  skill,  Captain  Ludlow,  and  it  is  creditable  to 
the  colony,  that  it  has  produced  so  good  an  officer  ; 
though  I  believe  your  grandfather  came  into  the 
province,  so  lately  as  on  the  restoration  of  King 
Charles  the  Second?" 

F2 


66  THR  WATER- WITCH. 

"  We  cannot  claim  descent  from  the  United  Prov 
inces,  Alderman  Van  Beverout,  on  the  paternal  side  ; 
but  whatever  may  have  been  the  political  opinions 
of  my  grandfather,  those  of  his  descendant  have 
never  been  questioned.  Let  me  entreat  the  fair 
Alida  to  take  counsel  of  the  apprehension  I  am  sure 
she  feels,  and  to  persuade  her  uncle  that  the  Coquette 
is  safer  than  his  periagua." 

"  It  is  said  to  be  easier  to  enter  than  to  quit  your 
ship,"  returned  the  laughing  Alida.  "  By  certain 
symptoms  that  attended  our  passage  to  the  island,. 
your  Coquette,  like  others,  is  fond  of  conquest.  One 
is  not  safe  beneath  so  malign  an  influence." 

"  This  is  a  reputation  given  by  our  enemies.  I 
had  hoped  for  a  different  answer  from  la  belle  Bar- 
berie." 

The  close  of  the  sentence  was  uttered  with  an 
emphasis  that  caused  the  blood  to  quicken  its  move 
ment  in  the  veins  of  the  maiden.  It  was  fortunate 
that  neither  of  their  companions  was  very  observant, 
or  else  suspicions  might  have  been  excited,  that  a 
better  intelligence  existed  between  the  young  sailor 
and  the  heiress,  than  would  have  comported  with 
their  wishes  and  intentions. 

"  I  had  hoped  for  a  different  answer  from  la  belle 
Barberie,"  repeated  Ludlow,  in  a  lower  voice,  but 
with  even  a  still  more  emphatic  tone  than  before. 

There  was  evidently  a  struggle  in  the  mind  ol 
Alida. — She  overcame  it,  before  her  confusion  could 
be  noted ;  and,  turning  to  the  valet,  she  said,  with 
the  composure  and  grace  that  became  a  gentle 
woman — 

"  Rends  moi  le  livre,  Francois." 

"  Le  voici — ah !  ma  chere  Mam'selle  Alide,  que 
ce  Monsieur  le  marin  se  fachait  a  cause  de  la  gloire, 
et  des  beaux  vers  de  notre  illustre  M.  Pierre  Cor- 
neille  !" 

"  Here  is  an  Fnglish  sailor,  that  I  am  sure  will  not 


THE    WATER-WITCH..  67 

deny  the  merit  of  an  admired  writer,  even  though 
he  come  of  a  nation  that  is  commonly  thought  hos 
tile,  Francois,"  returned  his  mistress,  smiling  "  Gap- 
tain  Ludlow,  it  is  now  a  month  since  I  am  your 
debtor,  by  promise,  for  a  volume  of  Corneille,  and  1 
here  a;quit  myself  of  the  obligation.  When  you 
have  perused  the  contents  of  this  book,  with  the  at 
tention  they  deserve,  I  may  hope " 

"  For  a  speedy  opinion  of  their  merits." 

"  1  was  about  to  say,  to  receive  the  volume  again, 
as  it  is  a  legacy  from  my  father,"  steadily  rejoined 
Alida. 

"  Legacies  and  foreign  tongues ! "  muttered  the 
Alderman.  "  One  is  well  enough ;  but  for  the  other, 
English  and  Dutch  are  all  that  the  wisest  man  need 
learn.  I  never  could  understand  an  account  of  protit 
and  loss  in  any  other  tonguef-Patroon ;  and  even  a 
favorable  balance  never  appears  so  great  as  it  is, 
unless  the  account  be  rendered  in  one  or  the  other 
of  these  rational  dialects.  Captain  Ludlow,  we  thank 
you  for  your  politeness,  but  here  is  one  of  my  fel 
lows  to  tell  us  that  my  own  periagua  is  arrived  ;  and, 
wishing  you  a  happy  and  a  long  cruise,  as  we  say  of 
lives,  I  bid  you,  adieu." 

The  young  seaman  returned  the  salutations  of  the 
party,  with  a  better  grace  than  his  previous  solici 
tude  to  persuade  them  to  enter  his  ship,  might  have 
given  reason  to  expect.  He  even  saw  them  descend 
the  hill,  towards  the  water  of  the  outer  bay,  with 
entire  composure ;  and  it  was  only  after  they  had 
entered  a  thicket  which  hid  them  from  view,  that 
he  permitted  his  feelings  to  have  sway. 

Then  indeed  he  drew  the  volume  from  his  pocket 
and  opened  its  leaves  with  an  eagerness  he  could  n 
longer  control.  It  seemed  as  if  he  expected  to  read 
more,  in  the  pages,  than  the  author  had  caused  to 
be  placed  there ;  but  when  his  eye  caught  sight  oi 
a  sealed  billet,  the  legacy  of  M.  de  Barberie  fell  at 


68  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

his  feet ;  and  the  paper  was  torn  asunder,  with  al 
the  anxiety  of  one  who  expected  to  find  in  its  con 
tents  a  decree  of  life  or  death. 

Amazement  was  clearly  the  first  emotion  of  the 
young  seaman.  He  read  and  re-read  ;  struck  his 
brow  with  his  hand ;  gazed  about  him  at  the  land 
and  at  the  water ;  re-perused  the  note ;  examined 
the  superscription,  which  was  simply  to  «  Capt. 
Ludlow,  of  Her  Majesty's  ship  Coquette:'  smiled; 
muttered  between  his  teeth  ;  seemed  vexed,  and  yet 
delighted ;  read  the  note  again,  word  by  word,  and 
finally  thrust  it  into  his  pocket,  with  the  air  of  a 
man  who  had  found  reason  for  both  regret  and  satis 
faction  in  its  contents. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

—What,  has  this  thing  appeared  again,  to-night?" 

HAMLET. 

"  THE  face  of  man  is  the  log-book  of  his  thoughts, 
and  Captain  Ludlow's  seems  agreeable,"  observed  a 
voice,  that  came  from  one,  who  was  not  far  from 
the  commander  of  the  Coquette,  while  the  latter 
was  still  enacting  the  pantomime  described  in  the 
close  of  the  preceding  chapter. 

"  Who  speaks  of  thoughts  and  log-books*  or  who 
dares  to  pry  into  my  movements?"  demanded  the 
young  sailor,  fiercely. 

"  One  who  has  trifled  with  the  first  and  scribbled 
n  the  last  too  often,  not  to  know  how  to  meet  a 
squall,  whether  it  be  seen  in  the  clouds  or  only  on 
the  face  of  man.  As  for  looking  into  your  move 
ments,  Captain  Ludlow,  I  have  watched  too  many 
big  ships  in  my  time,  to  turn  aside  at  each  light 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  69 

cruiser  that  happens  to  cross  my  course.  I  hope,  Sir, 
you  have  an  answer ;  every  hail  has  its  right  to  a 
civil  reply." 

Ludlovv  could  scarce  believe  his  senses,  when,  on 
turning  to  face  the  intruder,  he  saw  himself  confront 
ed  by  the  audacious  eye  and  calm  mien  of  the 
mariner  who  had,  once  before. that  morning,  braved 
his  resentment.  Curbing  his  indignation,  however, 
the  young  man  endeavored  to  emulate  the  coolness 
which,  notwithstanding  his  inferior  condition,  impart 
ed  to  the  air  of  the  other  something  that  was  imposing, 
if  it  were  not  absolutely  authoritative.  Perhaps  the 
singularity  of  the  adventure  aided  in  effecting  an 
object,  that  was  a  little  difficult  of  attainment  in  one 
accustomed  to  receive  so  much  habitual  deference 
from  most  of  those  who  made  the  sea  their  home. 
Swallowing  his  resentment,  the  young  commander 
answered — 

"  He  that  knows  how  to  face  his  enemies  with 
spirit,  may  be  accounted  sufficiently  bold;  but  he 
who  braves  the  anger  of  his  friends,  is  foolhardy." 

"  And  he  who  does  neither,  is  wiser  than  both.'' 
rejoined  the  reckless  hero  of  the  sash.  "  Captain 
Ludlow,  we  meet  on  equal  terms,  at  present,  and 
the  parley  may  be  managed  with  some  freedom." 

"  Equality  is  a  word  that  ill  applies  to  men  of  sta 
tions  so  different." 

"  Of  our  stations  and  duties  it  is  not  necessary  to 
speak.  I  hope  that,  when  the  proper  time  shall  come, 
both  may  be  found  ready  to  be  at  the  first,  and  equal 
to  discharge  the  last.  But  Captain  Ludlow,  backed 
by  the  broadside  of  the  Coquette  and  the  cross-fire 
of  his  marines,  is  not  Captain  Ludlow  alone,  on  a  sea 
bluff,  with  a  crutch  no  better  than  his  own  arm,  and 
a  stout  heart.  As  the  first,  he  is  like  a  spar  support 
ed  by  backstays  and  forestays,  braces  and  standing 
rigging ;  while,  as  the  latter,  he  is  the  stick,  which 
keeps  its  head  aloft  by  the  soundness  and  quality  of 


70  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

its  timber.  You  have  the  appearance  of  ont  who 
can  go  alone,  even  though  it  blew  heavier  than  at 
present,  if  one  may  judge  of  the  force  of  the  breeze, 
by  the  manner  it  presses  on  the  sails  of  yonder  boat 
in  the  bay." 

"  Yonder  boat  begins  to  feel  the  wind,  truly !" 
said  Ludlow,  suddenly  losing  all  other  interest  in  the 
appearance  of  the  periagua  which  held  Alida  and 
her  friends,  and  which,  at  that  instant,  shot  out  from 
beneath  the  cover  of  the  hill  into  the  broad  opening 
of  Raritan  bay.  "What  think  you  of  the  time,  my 
frien  7 1  a  man  of  your  years  should  speak  with  know 
ledge  of  the  weather." 

"  Women  and  winds  are  only  understood,  when 
fairly  in  motion,"  returned  he  of  the  sash;  "now, 
any  mortal  who  consulted  comfort  and  the  skies, 
would  have  preferred  a  passage  in  Her  Majesty's 
ship  Coquette,  to  one  in  yonder  dancing  periagua ; 
and  yet  the  fluttering  silk  we  see,  in  the  boat,  tells 
us  there  is  one  who  has  thought  otherwise." 

"  You  arc  a  man  of  singular  intelligence,"  cried 
Ludlow,  again  facing  the  intruder ;  "  as  well  as  one 
of  singular " 

"Effrontery,"  rejoined  the  other,  observing  that 
the  commander  hesitated.  Let  the  commissioned 
officer  of  the  Queen  speak  boldly ;  I  am  no  better 
than  a  top-man,  or  at  most  a  quarter-master." 

"  I  wish  to  say  nothing  disagreeable,  but  I  find 
your  knowledge  of  my  offer  to  convey  the  lady  and 
her  friends  to  the  residence  of  Alderman  Van  Beve 
rout,  a  little  surprising." 

"  And  I  see  nothing  to  wonder  at,  in  your  offer  tt 
convey  the  lady  anywhere,  though  the  liberality  to 
her  friends  is  not  an  act  of  so  clear  explanation. 
When  young  men  speak  from  the  heart,  their  word? 
are  not  uttered  in  whispers." 

"  Which  would  imply  that  you  overheard  our  con 
versation.  I  believe  it,  for  here  is  cover  at  hand  to 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  71 

conceal  you.  It  may  be,  Sir,  that  you  have  eyes,  as 
well  as  ears." 

'*  I  confess  to  have  seen  your  countenance,  chang 
ing  sides,  like  a  member  of  parliament  turning  to  a 
new  leaf  in  his  conscience,  at  the  Minister's  signal 
while  you  overhauled  a  bit  of  paper " 

"  Whose  contents  you  could  not  know!" 

"  Whose  contents  1  took  to  be  some  private  orders, 
given  by  a  lady  who  is  too  much  of  a  coquette  her 
self,  to  accept  your  offer  to  sail  in  a  vessel  of  the 
same  name." 

"  By  Heavens,  the  fellow  has  reason  in  his  inex 
plicable  impudence!"  muttered  Ludlow,  pacing  back 
ward  and  forward  beneath  the  shadow  of  the  'tree. 
"The  language  and  the  acts  of  the  girl  are  in  con 
tradiction;  and  I  am  a  fool  to  be' trifled  with,  like  a 
midshipman  fresh  broken  loose  from  his  mother's 
apron-string.  Harkee,  Master-a-a — You've  a  name  I 
suppose,  like  any  other  straggler  on  the  ocean." 

"  Yes.  When  the  hail  is  loud  enough  to  be*  heard, 
I  answer  to  the  call  of  Thomas  Tiller." 

"  Well  then,  Master  Tiller,  so  clever  a  seaman 
should  be  glad  to  serve  the  Queen." 

"Were  it  not  for  duty  to  another,  whose  claim 
comes  first,  nothing  could  be  more  agreeable  than  to 
lend  a  lady  in  distress  a  helping  hand." 

"  And  who  is  he,  who  may  prefer  a  claim  to  your 
services,  in  competition  with  the  majesty  of  these 
realms?"  demanded  Ludlow,  with  a  little  of  the 
pretension  that,  when  speaking  of  its  privileges,  is 
apt  to  distinguish  the  manner  of  one  who  has  been 
accustomed  to  regard  royalty  with  reverence. 

"  Myself.  When  our  affairs  call  us  the  same  way 
no  one  can  be  readier  than  I,  to  keep  Her  Majesty's 
company  ;  but " 

"  This  is  presuming  too  far,  on  the  trifling  of  a 
moment,"  interrupted  Ludlow ;  "  you  know,  sirrah, 
that  I  have  the  right  to  command  your  services, 


72  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

without  entering  into  a  parley  for  them ;  and  which, 
notwithstanding  your  gay  appearance,  may,  after  all, 
bf  little  worth  the  trouble." 

*  There  is  no  need  to  push  matters  to  extremity, 
between  us,  Captain  Ludlow,"  resumed  the  stranger 
who  had  appeared  to  muse  for  a  moment,  "  If  I  have 
baffled  your  pursuit  once  to-day,  it  was  perhaps  to 
make  ray  merit  in  entering  the  ship  freely,  less  un 
deniable.  We  are  here  alone,  and  your  Honor  will 
account  i<*  MO  boasting,  if  I  say  that  a  ma..,  well 
limbed  and  i°,Hve,  who  stands  six  feet  between  plank 
and  carlinc,  is  r»ot  likely  to  be  led  against  his  will, 
like  a  yawl  tow;ng  at  the  stern  of  a  four-and-forty. 
I  am  a  seaman,  Sir  i  and  though  the  ocean  is  my 
home,  I  never  venture  on  it  without  sufficient  footing. 
Look  abroad  from  th's  hill,  and  say  whether  there 
is  any  craft  in  view,  except  the  cruiser  of  the  Queen, 
which  would  be  likely  to  suit  the  taste  of  a  mariner 
of  the  long  voyage  1 " 

"  By  which  you  would  haT •*•  me  understand,  you 
are  here  in  quest  of  service  ? " 

"  Nothing  less ;  and  though  the  ^pinion  of  a  fore 
mast  Jack  may  be  of  little  value,  you  will  not  be  dis 
pleased  to  hear,  that  I  might  look  further  without 
finding  a  prettier  sea-boat,  or  a  swifte^,  than  the  one 
which  sails  under  your  own  orders.  A  seaman  of 
your  station,  Captain  Ludlow,  is  not  now  to  learn, 
that  a  man  speaks  differently,  while  his  n*\roe  is  his 
own,  and  after  he  has  given  it  away  to  the  crown : 
and  therefore  I  hope  my  present  freedom  will  not  be 
long  remembered." 

"  I  have  met  men  of  your  humor  before,  my  friend 
and  I  have  not  now  to  learn,  that  a  thorough  man 
of-vvar's  man  is  as  impudent  on  shore,  as  he  is  obe 
dient  afloat. — Is  that  a  sail,  in  the  offing,  or  is  it  the 
wing  of  a  sea-fowl,  glittering  in  the  sun  ? " 

"  It  may  be  either,"  observed  the  audacious  mar 
iner,  turning  his  eye  leisurely  towards  the  open  ocean, 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  78 

*  for  we  have  a  wide  look-out  from  this  windy  bluff 
Here  are  gulls  sporting  above  the  waves,  that  turn 
their  feathers  towards  the  light." 

"  Look  more  seaward.  That  spot  of  shining  white 
should  be  the  canvas  of  some  craft,  hovering  in  the 
offing!" 

"  Nothing  more  probable,  in  so  light  a  breeze 
Your  coasters  are  in  and  out,  like  water-rats  on  a 
wharf,  at  any  hour  of  the  twenty-four — and  yet  to 
me  it  seems  the  comb  of  a  breaking  sea." 

"  'Tis  snow-white  duck  ;  such  as  your  swift  rover 
wears  on  his  loftier  spars !" 

"  A  duck  that  is  flown,"  returned  the  stranger 
drily,  "  for  it  is  no  longer  to  be  seen.  These  fly-aways, 
Captain  Ludlow,  give  us  seamen  many  sleepless  nights 
and  idle  chases.  I  was  once  running  down  the  coast 
of  Italy,  between  the  island  of  Corsica  and  the  main, 
when  one  of  these  delusions  beset  the  crew,  in  a 
manner  that  hath  taught  me  to  put  little  faith  in 
eyes,  unless  backed  by  a  clear  horizon  and  a  cool 
head." 

"  I'll  hear  the  circumstance,"  said  Ludlow,  with 
drawing  his  gaze  from  the  distant  ocean,  like  one 
who  was  satisfied  his  senses  had  been  deceived. 
"What  of  this  marvel  of  the  Italian  seas?" 

"  A  marvel  truly,  as  your  Honor  will  confess,  when 
I  read  you  the  affair,  much  in  the  words  I  had  it 
logged,  for  the  knowledge  of  all  concerned.  It  was 
the  last  hour  of  the  second  dog-watch,  on  Easter- 
Sunday,  with  the  wind  here  at  south-east,  easterly. 
A  light  air  filled  the  upper  canvas,  and  just  gave  us 
command  of  the  ship.  The  mountains  of  Corsica, 
with  Monte  Christo  and  Elba,  had  all  been  sunk 
some  hours,  and  we  were  on  the  yards,  keeping  a 
look-out  for  a  land-fall  on  the  Roman  coast.  A  low, 
thick  bank  of  drifting  fog  lay  along  the  sea,  in-shore 
of  us,  which  all  believed  to  be  the  sweat  of  the  land, 
and  thought  no  more  of;  though  none  wished  to 
G 


74  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

enter  it,  for  that  is  a  coast  where  foul  airs  rise,  ana 
through  which  the  gulls  and  land-birds  refuse  to  fly 
Well,  here  we  lay,  the  mainsail  in  the  brails,  the 
topsails  beating  the  mast-heads,  like  a  maiden  fanning 
herself  when  she  sees  her  lover,  and  nothing  full 
but  the  upper  duck,  with  the  sun  fairly  below  the 
water  in  the  western  board.  I  was  then  young,  and 
quick  of  eye,  as  of  foot,  and  therefore  among  the 
first  to  see  the  sight ! " 

"Which  was ?"   said  Ludlow,  interested  in 

spite  of  his  assumed  air  of  indifference. 

"  Why,  here  just  above  the  bank  of  foul  air,  that 
ever  rests  on  that  coast,  there  was  seen  an  object, 
that  looked  like  ribs  of  bright  light,  as  if  a  thousand 
stars  had  quitted  their  usual  berths  in  the  heaven,  to 
warn  us  off  the  land,  by  a  supernatural  beacon.  The 
sight  was  in  itself  altogether  out  of  nature  and  sur 
prising.  As  the  night  thickened,  it  grew  brighter 
and  more  glowing,  as  if  'twere  meant  in  earnest  to 
warn  us  from  the  coast.  But  when  the  word  was 
passed  to  send  the  glasses  aloft,  there  was  seen  a  glit 
tering  cross  on  high,  and  far  above  the  spars  on  which 
earthly  ships  carry  their  private  signals." 

"  This  was  indeed  extraordinary !  and  what  did 
you,  to  come  at  the  character  of  the  heavenly 
symbol?" 

"  We  wore  off  shore,  and  left  it  a  clear  berth  for 
bolder  mariners.  Glad  enough  was  I  to  see,  with  the 
morning  sun,  the  snowy  hills  of  Corsica,  again !" 

"And  the  appearance  of  that  object  was  never 
explained?" 

"  Nor  ever  will  be.  T  have  since  spoke  with  the 
mariners  of  that  sea  concerning  the  sight,  but  never 
found  any  who  could  pretend  to  have  seen  it.  There 
was  indeed  one  bold  enough  to  say,  there  is  a  church, 
far  inland,  of  height  and  magnitude  sufficient  to  be 
seen  some  leagues  at  sea,  and  that,  favored  by  our 
position  and  the  mists  that  hung  above  the  low 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  75 

grounds,  we  had  seen  its  upper  works,  looming  above 
the  fogs,  and  lighted  for  some  brilliant  ceremony 
but  we  were  all  too  old  in  seaman's  experience  to 
credit  so  wild  a  tale.  I  know  not  but  a  church  may 
loom,  as  well  as  a  hill  or  a  ship  ;  but  he,  who  pretends 
to  say,  that  the  hands  of  man  can  thus  pile  stones 
among  the  clouds,  should  be  certain  of  believers,  ere 
he  pushes  the  tale  too  far." 

"  Your  narrative  is  extraordinary,  and  the  marvel 
should  have  been  looked  into  closer.  It  may  truly 
have  been  a  church,  for  there  stands  an  edifice  at 
Rome,  which  towers  to  treble  the  height  of  a  cruiser's 
masts." 

"Having  rarely  troubled  churches,  I  know  not 
why  a  church  should  trouble  me,"  said  the  mariner 
of  the  sash,  while  he  turned  his  back  on  the  ocean, 
as  if  indisposed  to  regard  the  waste  of  water  longer. 
"  It  is  now  twelve  years  since  that  sight  was  seen, 
and  though  a  seaman  of  many  voyages,  my  eyes 
have  not  looked  upon  the  Roman  coast,  from  that 
hour  to  this.  Will  your  Honor  lead  the  way  from 
the  bluff,  as  becomes  your  rank?" 

"  Your  tale  of  the  burning  cross  and  looming 
church,  Master  Tiller,  had  almost  caused  me  to  forget 
to  watch  the  movements  of  yon  periagua,"  returned 
Ludlow,  who  still  continued  to  face  the  bay.  "  That 

obstinate  old  Dutchman 1  say,  Sir,   that   Mr. 

Alderman  Van  Beverout  has  greater  confidence  in 
this  description  of  craft  than  I  feel  myself.  I  like 
not  the  looks  of  yonder  cloud,  which  is  rising  from 
out  the  mouth  of  Raritan ;  and  here,  seaward,  we 
have  a  gloomy  horizon. — By  Heaven !  there  is  a  sail 
playing  in  the  offing  or  my  eye  hath  lost  its  use  and 
ludgment." 

"  Your  Honor  sees  the  wing  of  the  sporting  gull, 
again ;  it  had  been  nigh  to  deceive  my  sight,  which, 
would  be  to  cheat  the  look-o'it  of  a  man  that  has  the 
advantage  of  some  ten  or  fifteen  years'  more  prac- 


76  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

tice  in  marine  appearances.  I  remember  once,  when 
beating  in  among  the  islands  of  the  China  seas,  with 
the  trades  here  at  south-east " 

"  Enough  of  your  marvels,  friend ;  the  church  is 
as  much  as  I  can  swallow,  in  one  morning — It  may 
nave  been  a  gull !  for  I  confess  the  object  small ;  ye< 
it  had  the  steadiness  and  size  of  a  distant  sail !  There 
is  some  reason  to  expect  one  on  our  coast,  for  whom 
a  bright  and  seaman's  watch  must  be  had." 

"  This  may  then  leave  me  a  choice  of  ships,' 
rejoined  Tiller.  "  I  thank  your  Honor  for  having 
spoken,  before  I  had  given  myself  away  to  the  Queen ; 
who  is  a  lady  that  is  much  more  apt  to  receive  gifts 
of  this  nature,  than  to  return  them." 

"  If  your  respect  aboard  shall  bear  any  proportion 
to  your  hardihood  on  shore,  you  may  be  accounted 
a  model  of  civility !  But  a  mariner  of  your  pre 
tension  should  have  some  regard  to  the  character  d 
the  vessel  in  which  he  takes  service." 

"  That  of  which  your  Honor  spoke,  is  then  a  buc 
caneer?" 

"  If  not  a  buccaneer,  one  but  little  better.  A 
lawless  trader,  under  the  most  favorable  view ;  and 
there  are  those  who  think  that  he,  who  has  gone  so 
far,  has  not  stopt  short  of  the  end.  But  the  reputa 
tion  of  the  *  Skimmer  of  the  Seas '  must  be  known  to 
one  who  has  navigated  the  ocean,  long  as  you." 

"  You  will  overlook  the  curiosity  of  a  seafaring 
man,  in  a  matter  of  his  profession,"  returned  the 
mariner  of  the  sash,  with  strong  and  evident  interest 
m  his  manner.  "  I  am  lately  from  a  distant  ocean, 
and  though  many  tales  of  the  buccaneers  of  the  isl 
ands  have  been  narrated,  I  do  not  remember  to  have 
heard  of  that  rover,  before  his  name  came  into  the 
discourse  between  me  and  the  schipper  of  the  boat, 
that  p.ies  between  this  landing  and  the  city.  I  am 
not,  altogether,  what  I  seem,  Captain  Ludlow ;  and 
when  further  acquaintance  and  hard  service  shall 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  77 

have  brought  me  more  before  the  eyes  of  my  com 
mander,  he  may  not  repent  having  induced  "a  tho 
rough  seaman  to  enter  his  ship,  by  a  little  condescen 
sion  and  good-nature  shown  while  the  man  was  still 
his  own  master.  Your  Honor  will  take  no  offence  at 
my  boldness,  when  I  tell  you,  I  should  be  glad  to 
know  more  of  this  unlawful  trader." 

Ludlow  riveted  his  eyes  on  the  unmoved  and 
manly  countenance  of  his  companion.  There  was 
a  vague  and  undefined  suspicion  in  the  look ;  but  it 
vanished,  as  the  practised  organs  drank  in  the  as 
surance,  which  so  much  physical  promise  afforded, 
of  the  aid  of  a  bold  and  active  mariner.  Rather 
amused  than  offended  by  the  freedom  of  the  request, 
he  turned  upon  his  heel,  and  as  they  descended  the 
bluff,  on  their  way  towards  the  place  of  landing,  he 
continued  the  dialogue. 

"  You  are  truly  from  a  distant  ocean,"  said  the 
young  captain  of  the  Coquette,  smiling  like  a  man 
who  apologizes  to  himself  for  an  act  of  what  he 
thought  undue  condescension,  "  if  the  exploits  of  a 
brigantine  known  by  the  name  of  the  *  Water- Witch 
and  of  him  who  commands  her,  under  the  fit  appel 
lation  of  the  *  Skimmer  of  the  Seas,'  have  not  yet 
reached  your  ears.  It  is  now  five  summers,  since 
orders  have  been  in  the  colonies  for  the  cruisers  to 
be  on  the  alert  to  hunt  the  picaroon ;  and  it  is  even 
said,  the  daring  smuggler  has  often  braved  the  pen 
nants  of  the  narrow  seas.  'Twould  be  a  bigger  ship, 
if  not  knighthood,  to  the  lucky  officer  who  should 
catch  the  knave!" 

"  He  must  drive  a  money-gaining  trade,  to  run 
these  risks,  and  to  brave  the  efforts  of  so  many  skilfu 
gentlemen  !  May  I  add  to  a  presumption  that  your 
Honor  already  finds  too  bold,  if  one  may  judge  by  a 
displeased  eye,  by  asking  if  report  speaks  to  the  fa  ce 
and  other  particulars  of  the  person  of  this — free- 
G2 


78  THE    WATER-W  TCH. 

trader,  one  must  call  him,  though  freebooter  should 
be  a  better  word." 

"  What  matters  the  personal  condition  of  a  rogue?" 
said   Captain    Ludlow,   who   perhaps  remembered; 
that  the  freedom  of  their  intercourse  had  been  car 
ied  as  far  as  comported  with  prudence. 

"  What  matter,  truly !  I  asked  because  the  de 
scription  answers  a  little  to  that  of  a  man  I  once 
knew,  in  the  seas  of  farther  India,  and  who  has  long 
since  disappeared,  though  no  one  can  say  whither  he 
has  gone.  But  this  *  Skimmer  of  the  Seas '  is  some 
Spaniard  of  the  Main,  or  perhaps  a  Dutchman  come 
from  the  country  that  is  awash,  in  order  to  taste  o. 
terra-firma?" 

"  Spaniard  of  the  southern  coast  never  carried  so 
bold  a  sail  in  these  seas,  nor  was  there  ever  known 
a  Dutchman  with  so  light  a  heel.  The  fellow  is 
said  to  laugh  at  the  swiftest  cruiser  out  of  England ! 
As  to  his  figure,  I  have  heard  little  good  of  ii.  ;  JTis 
said,  he  is  some  soured  officer  of  better  days,  who 
has  quitted  the  intercourse  of  honest  men,  because 
roguery  is  so  plainly  written  on  his  face,  that  he 
vainly  tries  10  hide  it." 

"  Mine  was  a  proper  man,  and  one  that  need  not 
have  been  ashamed  to  show  his  countenance  among 
his  fellows,"  said  he  of  the  sash.  "  This  cannot  be 
the  same,  if  indeed  there  be  any  on  the  coast. — Is't 
known,  your  Honor,  that  the  man  is  truly  here  ? " 

"  So  goes  a  rumor ;  though  so  many  idle  tales  have 
led  me  before  to  seek  the  smuggler  where  he  wai 
not,  that  I  give  but  little  faith  to  the  report. — The 
periagua  has  the  wind  more  at  west,  and  the  cloud 
'n  the  mouth  of  the  Raritan  is  breaking  into  scud 
The  Alderman  will  have  a  lucky  run  of  it!" 

"  And  the  gulls  have  gone  more  seaward — a  cer 
tain  sign  of  pleasant  weather ;"  returned  the  other, 
glancing  a  quick  bu;  keen  look  over  the  horizon, 


THE    WATER-WITCH. 


79 


in  the  offing.     "  I  believe  our  rover,  with  his  light 
duck,  has  taken  flight  among  them!" 

"  Wt  will  then  go  in  pursuit.  My  ship  is  hound 
lo  sea ;  and  it  is  time,  Master  Tiller,  that  I  know  in 
what  berth  you  are  willing  to  serve  the  Queen." 

"  God  bless  her  Majesty !  Anne  is  a  royal  lady 
and  she  had  a  Lord  High  Admiral  for  her  husband. 
As  for  a  berth,  Sir,  one  always  wishes  to  be  captain, 
even  though  he  may  be  compelled  to  eat  his  rations 
in  the  lee-scuppers.  I  suppose  the  first-lieutenancy 
is  filled,  to  your  Honor's  liking?" 

"  Sirrah,  this  is  trifling ;  one  of  your  years  and 
experience  need  not  be  told,  that  commissions  are 
obtained  by  service." 

"Under  favor;  —  I  confess  the  error.  Captain 
Ludlow,  you  are  a  man  of  honor,  and  will  not  de 
ceive  a  sailor  who  puts  trust  in  your  word." 

"  Sailor,  or  landsman,  he  is  safe  who  has  the 
gage." 

"  Then,  Sir,  I  ask  it.  Suffer  me  to  enter  your 
ship ;  to  look  into  my  future  messmates,  and  to  judge 
of  their  characters;  to  see  if  the  vessel  suits  my 
humor ;  and  then  to  quit  her,  if  I  find  it  convenient." 
"Fellow,"  said  Ludlow,  "this  impudence  almost 
surpasseth  patience!" 

"  The  request  is  reasonable,  as  can  be  shown ;" 
gravely  returned  the  unknown  mariner.  "  Now, 
Captain  Ludlow  of  the  Coquette  would  gladly  tie 
himself,  for  better  for  worse,  to  a  fair  lady  who  is 
lately  gone  on  the  water,  and  yet  there  are  thou 
sands  who  might  be  had  with  less  difficulty." 

"  Still  deeper  and  deeper  in  thy  effrontery — and 
what  if  this  be  true?" 

"  Sir,  a  ship  is  a  seaman's  mistress — nay,  when 
fairly  under  a  pennant,  with  a  war  declared,  he 
may  be  said  to  be  wedded  to  her,  lawfully  or  not. 
He  becomes  '  bone  of  her  bone,  and  flesh  of  her 
flesh,  until  death  doth  them  part.'  To  such  a  long 


80  THE    WiTER- WITCH. 

compact,  there  should  be  liberty  of  choice.  Has  not 
your  mariner  a  taste,  as  well  as  your  lover  ?  The 
harpings  and  counter  of  his  ship  are  the  waist  and 
shoulders ;  the  rigging,  the  ringlets ;  the  cut  and  fit 
of  the  sails,  the  fashion  of  the  millinery ;  the  guns 
are  always  called  the  teeth,  and  her  paint  is  the 
blush  and  bloom !  Here  is  matter  of  choice,  Sir ; 
and,  without  leave  to  make  it,  I  must  wish  your 
Honor  a  happy  cruise,  and  the  Queen  a  better  ser 
vitor." 

"  Why,  Master  Tiller,"  cried  Ludlow,  laughing, 
"  you  trust  too  much  to  these  stunted  oaks,  if  you 
believe  it  exceeds  my  power  to  hunt  you  out  of 
their  cover,  at  pleasure.  But  I  take  you  at  your 
word.  The  Coquette  shall  receive  you  on  these  con 
ditions,  and  with  the  confidence  that  a  first-rate  city 
belle  would  enter  a  country  ball-room." 

"  I  follow  in  your  Honors  wake,  without  more 
words,"  returned  he  of  the  sash,  for  the  first  time 
respectfully  raising  his  canvas  cap  to  the  young  com 
mander.  "  Though  not  actually  married,  eonsidei 
me  a  man  betrothed." 

It  is  not  necessary  to  pursue  the  discourse  between 
the  two  seamen  any  further.  It  was  maintained, 
and  with  sufficient  freedom  on  the  part  of  the  infe 
rior,  until  they  reached  the  shore,  and  came  in  full 
view  of  the  pennant  of  the  Queen ;  when,  with  the 
tact  of  an  old  man-of-war's  man,  he  threw  into  his 
mariner  all  the  respect  that  was  usually  required  by 
the  difference  of  rank. 

Half  an  hour  later,  the  Coquette  was  rolling  at  a 
single  anchor,  as  the  puffs  of  wind  came  off  the  hills 
on  her  three  topsails ;  and  shortly  after,  she  was  seen 
standing  through  the  Narrows,  with  a  fresh  south 
westerly  breeze.  In  all  these  movements,  there 
was  nothing  to  attract  attention.  Notwithstanding 
the  sarcastic  allusions  of  Alderman  Van  Beverout, 
the  cruiser  was  far  from  being  idle ;  and  her  passage 


THE    WATER- WITCH  81 

outward  was  a  circumstance  of  so  common  occur 
rence,  that  it  excited  no  comment  among  the  boat 
men  of  the  bay,  and  the  coasters,  who  alone  *#it 
nessed  her  departure. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

M — I  am  no  pilot;  yet,  wert  thou  as  far 

AB  that  vast  shore  wash'd  with  the  furthest  sea, 

I  would  adventure  for  such  merchandise." 

ROMEO  AND  JULIET. 

A  HAPPY  mixture  of  land  and  water,  seen  by  a 
bright  moon,  and  beneath  the  sky  of  the  fortieth  de 
gree  of  latitude,  cannot  fail  to  make  a  pleasing  pic 
ture.  Such  was  the  landscape  which  the  reader 
must  now  endeavor  to  present  to  his  mind. 

The  wide  estuary  of  Raritan  is  shut  in  from  the 
winds  and  billows  of  the  open  sea,  by  a  long,  low, 
and  narrow  cape,  or  point,  which,  by  a  medley  of 
the  Dutch  and  English  languages,  that  is  by  no 
means  rare  in  the  names  of  places  that  lie  within 
the  former  territories  of  the  United  Provinces  of 
Holland,  is  known  by  the  name  of  Sandy-Hook. 
This  tongue  of  land  appears  to  have  been  made  by 
the  unremitting  and  opposing  actions  of  the  waves, 
on  one  side,  and  of  the  currents  of  the  different 
rivers,  that  empty  their  waters  into  the  bay,  on  the 
other.  It  is  commonly  connected  with  the  low  coast 
of  New- Jersey,  to  the  south ;  but  there  are  periods, 
of  many  years  in  succession,  during  which  there 
exists  an  inlet  from  the  sea,  between  what  may  be 
termed  the  inner  end  of  the  cape,  and  the  main-land. 
During  these  periods,  Sandy-Hook,  of  course,  be 
comes  an  island.  Such  was  the  fact  at  the  time  of 
\vhich  it  is  our  business  to  write. 


82  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

The  outer,~or  ocean  side  of  this  low  and  narrow 
bank  of  sand,  is  a  smooth  and  regular  beach,  like 
that  seen  on  most  of  the  Jersey  coast,  while  the  inner 
is  indented,  in  a  manner  to  form  several  convenient 
anchoring-grounds,  for  ships  that  seek  a  shelter  from 
easterly  gales.  One  of  the  latter  is  a  circular  and 
pretty  cove,  in  which  vessels  of  a  light  draught  are 
completely  embayed,  and  where  they  may,  in  safety, 
ride  secure  from  any  winds  that  blow.  The  harbor, 
or,  as  it  is  always  called,  the  Cove,  lies  at  the  point 
where  the  cape  joins  the  main,  and  the  inlet  just 
named  communicates  directly  with  its  waters,  when 
ever  the  passage  is  open.  The  Shrewsbury,  a  river 
of  the  fourth  or  fifth  class,  or  in  other  words  a  stream 
of  a  few  hundred  feet  in  width,  and  of  no  great 
length,  comes  from  the  south,  running  nearly  parallel 
with  the  coast,  and  becomes  a  tributary  of  the  Bay, 
also,  at  a  point  near  the  Cove.  Between  the  Shrews 
bury  and  the  sea,  the  land  resembles  that  on  the 
cape,  being  low  and  sandy,  though  not  entirely  with 
out  fertility.  It  is  covered  with  a  modest  growth  of 
pines  and  oaks,  where  it  is  not  either  subject  to  the 
labors  of  the  husbandman,  or  in  natural  meadow. 
But  the  western  bank  of  the  river  is  an  abrupt  and 
high  acclivity,  which  rises  to  the  elevation  of  a  moun 
tain.  It  was  near  the  base  of  the  latter  that  Alder 
man  Van  Beverout,  for  reasons  that  may  be  more 
fully  developed  as  we  proceed  in  our  tale,  had  seen 
fit  to  erect  his  villa,  which,  agreeably  to  a  usage  oi 
Holland,  he  had  called  the  Lust  in  Rust ;  an  appel 
lation  that  the  merchant,  who  had  read  a  few  of  the 
classics  in  his  boyhood,  was  wont  to  say  meant  nothing 
more  nor  less  than  '  Otium  cum  dignitate.' 

If  a  love  of  retirement  and  a  pure  air  had  its  in 
fluence  in  determining  the  selection  of  the  burgher 
of  Manhattan,  he  could  not  have  made  a  bette* 
choice.  The  adjoining  lands  had  been  occupied 
early  in  the  previous  century,  by  a  respectable  fam 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  OO 

ily  of  the  name  of  Hartshorne,  which  continues 
seated  at  the  place,  to  the  present  hour.  The  extent 
of  their  possessions  served,  at  that  day,  to  keep  others 
at  a  distance.  If  to  this  fact  be  added  the  formation 
and  quality  of  the  giound,  which  was,  at  so  early  a 
period,  of  trifling  value  for  agricultural  purposes,  it 
will  be  seen  there  was  as  little  motive,  as  there  was 
opportunity,  for  strangers  to  intrude.  As  to  the  air, 
it  was  refreshed  by  the  breezes  of  the  ocean,  which 
was  scarcely  a  mile  distant ;  while  it  had  nothing  to 
render  it  unhealthy,  or  impure.  With  this  sketch 
of  the  general  features  of  the  scene  where  so  many 
of  our  incidents  occurred,  we  shall  proceed  to  de 
scribe  the  habitation  of  the  Alderman,  a  little  more 
in  detail. 

The  villa  of  the  Lust  in  Rust  was  a  low,  irregular 
edifice,  in  bricks,  whitewashed  to  the  color  of  the 
driven  snow,  and  in  a  taste  that  was  altogether  Dutch. 
There  were  many  gables  and  weather-cocks,  a  dozen 
small  and  twisted  chimneys,  with  numberless  facilities 
that  were  intended  for  the  nests  of  storks.  These 
airy  sites  were,  however,  untenanted,  to  the  great 
admiration  of  the  honest  architect,  who,  like  many 
others  that  bring  with  them  into  this  hemisphere 
habits  and  opinions  that  are  better  suited  to  the 
other,  never  ceased  expressing  his  surprise  on  the 
subject,  though  all  the  negroes  of  the  neighborhood 
united  in  affirming  there  was  no  such  bird  in  America. 
In  front  of  the  house,  there  was  a  narrow  but  an 
exceedingly  neat  lawn,  encircled  by  shrubbery  ; 
while  two  old  elms,  that  seemed  coeval  with  the 
mountain,  grew  in  the  rich  soil  of  which  the  base  of 
the  latter  was  composed.  Nor  was  there  a  want  of 
hade  on  any  part  of  the  natural  terrace,  that  was 
occupied  by  the  buildings.  It  was  thickly  sprinkled 
with  fruit-trees,  and  here  and  there  was  a  pine,  or 
an  oak,  of  the  native  growth.  A  declivity  that  was 
rather  rapid  fell  away  in  front,  to  the  level  of  the 


84  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

mouth  of  the  river.  In  short,  it  was  an  ample  bul 
an  unpretending  country-house,  in  which  no  domestic 
convenience  had  been  forgotten ;  while  it  had  little 
to  boast  of  in  the  way  of  architecture,  except  it? 
rusty  vanes  and  twisted  chimneys.  A  few  out-houses 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  negroes,  were  nigh 
and  nearer  to  the  river,  there  were  barns  and  stables 
of  dimensions  and  materials  altogether  superior  to 
those  that  the  appearance  of  the  arable  land,  or  the 
condition  of  the  small  farm,  would  seem  to  render 
necessary.  The  periagua,  in  which  the  proprietor 
had  made  his  passage  across  the  outer  bay,  lay  at  a 
small  wooden  wharf  immediately  below. 

For  the  earlier  hours  of  the  evening,  the  flashing 
of  candles,  and  a  general  and  noisy  movement  among 
the  blacks,  had  denoted  the  presence  of  the  master 
of  the  villa.  But  the  activity  had  gradually  subsided: 
and  before  the  clock  struck  nine,  the  manner  in 
which  the  lights  were  distributed,  and  the  general 
silence,  showed  that  the  party,  most  probably  fatigued 
with  their  journey,  had  already  separated  for  the 
night.  The  clamor  of  the  negroes  had  ceased,  and 
the  quiet  of  deep  sleep  was  already  prevailing  among 
their  humble  dwellings. 

At  the  northern  extremity  of  the  villa,  which,  it 
will  be  remembered,  leaned  against  the  mountain, 
and  facing  the  east,  or  fronting  the  river  and  the 
sea,  there  stood  a  little  wing,  even  more  deeply  em 
bowered  in  shrubbery  and  low  trees,  than  the  other 
parts  of  the  edifice,  and  which  was  constructed  alto 
gether  in  a  different  style.  This  was  a  pavilion, 
erected  for  the  particular  accommodation,  and  at  the 
%,ost,  of  la  belle  Barberie.  Here  the  heiress  of  (he 
wo  fortunes  was  accustomed  to  keep  her  own  little 
menage,  during  the  weeks  passed  in  the  country 
and  here  she  amused  herself,  in  those  pretty  ana 
feminine  employments  that  suited  her  years  and 
tastes.  In  compliment  to  the  beauty  and  origin  o 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  85 

its  inhabitant,  the  gallant  Francois  had  christened 
this  particular  portion  of  the  villa,  la  Cour  des  Fees 
a  name  that  had  gotten  into  general  use,  though 
somewhat  corrupted  in  sound. 

On  the  present  occasion,  the  blinds  of  the  principal 
apartment  of  the  pavilion  were  open,  and  its  mis 
tress  was  still  to  be  seen  at  one  of  the  windows.  Alida 
was  at  an  age  when  the  sex  is  most  sensible  of  lively 
impressions,  and  she  looked  abroad  on  the  loveliness 
of  the  landscape,  and  on  the  soft  stillness  of  the 
night,  with  the  pleasure  that  such  a  mind  is  wont  to 
receive  from  objects  of  natural  beauty. 

There  was  a  young  moon,  and  a  firmament  glow 
ing  with  a  myriad  of  stars.  The  light  was  shed 
softly  on  the  water,  though,  here  and  there,  the 
ocean  glittered  with  its  rays.  A  nearly  impercepti 
ble,  but  what  seamen  call  a  heavy  air  came  off  the 
sea,  bringing  with  it  the  refreshing  coolness  of  the 
hour.  The  surface  of  the  immense  waste  was  per 
fectly  unruffled,  both  within  and  without  the  barrier 
of  sand  that  forms  the  cape ;  but  the  body  of  the 
element  was  heaving  and  setting  heavily,  in  a  man 
ner  to  resemble  the  sleeping  respiration  of  some  being 
of  huge  physical  frame.  The  roar  of  the  surf,  which 
rolled  up  in  long  and  white  curls  upon  the  sands, 
was  the  only  audible  sound  ;  but  that  was  heavy  and 
incessant,  sometimes  swelling  on  the  air,  hollow  and 
threatening,  and  at  others  dying,  in  dull  and  distan 
murmurs,  on  the  ear.  There  was  a  charm  in  thes 
varieties  of  sound,  and  in  the  solemn  stillness  of  such 
a  night,  that  drew  Alida  into  her  little  balcony ;  and 
she  leaned  forward,  beyond  its  shadow  of  sweet-brier, 
to  gaze  at  a  part  of  the  bay  that  was  not  visible,  in 
the  front  view,  from  her  windows. 

La  belle  Barberie  smiled,  when  she  saw  the  dim 

masts  and  dark  hull  of  a  ship,  which  was  ancnored 

near  the  end  of  the  cape,  and  within  its  protection. 

There  was  the  look  of  woman! v  pride  in  her  dark 

H 


86  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

eye,  and  haply  some  consciousness  of  womanly  power 
in  the  swell  of  her  rich  lip,  while  a  taper  finger  beat 
the  bar  of  the  balcony,  rapidly,  and  without  con 
sciousness  of  its  employment. 

"  The  loyal  Captain  Ludlow  has  quickly  ended  his 
cruise!"  said  the  maiden  aloud,  for  she  spoke  under 
the  influence  of  a  triumph  that  was  too  natural  to 
DC  suppressed.  "  I  shall  become  a  convert  to  my 
uncle's  opinions,  and  think  the  Queen  badly  served.'; 

"  He  who  serves  one  mistress,  faithfully,  has  no 
light  task,"  returned  a  voice  from  among  the  shrub 
bery  that  grew  beneath  and  nearly  veiled  the  win 
dow  ;  "  but  he,  who  is  devoted  to  two,  may  well  de 
spair  of  success  with  both  ! " 

Alida  recoiled,  and,  at  the  next  instant,  she  saw 
her  place  occupied  by  the  commander  of  the  Co 
quette.  Before  venturing  to  cross  the  low  barrier 
that  still  separated  him  from  the  little  parlor,  the 
young  man  endeavored  to  read  the  eye  of  its  occu 
pant  ;  and  then,  either  mistaking  its  expression,  or 
bold  in  his  years  and  hopes,  he  entered  the  room. 

Though  certainly  unused  to  have  her  apartment 
scaled  with  so  little  ceremony,  there  was  neither  ap 
prehension,  nor  wonder,  in  the  countenance  of  the 
fair  descendant  of  the  Huguenot.  The  blood  man 
tled  more  richly  on  her  cheek ;  and  the  brightness 
of  an  eye,  that  was  never  dull,  increased,  while  her 
fine  form  became  firm  and  commanding. 

"  I  have  heard  that  Captain  Ludlow  gained  much 
of  his  renown  by  gallantry  in  boarding,"  she  said,  in 
a  voice  whose  meaning  admitted  of  no  misc  >ncep 
tion;  "but  I  had  hoped  his  ambition  was  satisfied 
with  laurels  so  fairly  won  from  the  enemies  of  his 
country!" 

"  A  thousand  pardons,  fairest  Alida,"  interrupted 
the  youth  ;  "  you  know  the  obstacles  that  the  jealoui 
watchfulness  of  your  uncle  opposes  to  my  desire  ta 
apeak  with  you." 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  87 

" They  are  then  opposed  in  vain,  for  Alderman 
Van  Beverout  has  weakly  believed  the  sex  and  con 
dition  of  his  ward  would  protect  her  from  these 
coups-de-main." 

"  Nay,  Alida  ;  this  is  being  more  capricious  than 
the  winds !  You  know,  too  well,  how  far  my  suit  is 
unpleasant  to  your  gardian,  to  torture  a  slight  de 
parture  from  cold  observances  into  cause  of  serious 
complaint.  I  had  hoped — perhaps,  I  should  say,  1 
have  presumed  on  the  contents  of  your  letter,  for 
which  I  return. a  thousand  thanks;  but  do  not  thus 
cruelly  destroy  expectations  that  have  so  lately  been 
raised  beyond  the  point,  perhaps,  which  reason  may 
justify." 

The  glow,  which  had  begun  to  subside  on  the  face 
of  la  belle  Barberie,  r\gain  deepened,  and  for  a  mo 
ment  it  appeared  as  if  her  high  self-dependence  was 
a  little  weakened.  After  an  instant  of  reflection, 
however,  she  answered  steadily,  though  not  entirely 
without  emotion. 

"  Reason,  Captain  Ludlow,  has  limited  female 
propriety  within  narrow  limits,"  she  said.  "  In  an 
swering  your  letter,  I  have  consulted  good-nature 
more  than  prudence;  and  I  find  that  you  are  riot 
slow  in  causing  me  to  repent  the  error." 

"  If  I  ever  cause  you  to  repent  confidence  in  me, 
sweet  Alida,  may  disgrace  in  my  profession,  and  the 
distrust  of  the  whole  sex,  be  my  punishment !  But. 
have  I  not  reason  to  complain  of  this  inconstancy,  on 
your  part  ?  Ought  I  to  expect  so  severe  a  repri 
mand — severe,  because  cold  and  ironical — for  an 
offence,  venial  as  the  wish  to  proclaim  my  gratitude?" 

"  Gratitude ! "  repeated  Alida,  and  this  time  her 
wonder  was  not  feigned.  "  The  word  is  strong,  Sir ; 
and  it  expresses  more  than  an^  act  of  courtesy,  so 
simple  as  that  which  may  attend  the  lending:  a  vol 
ume  of  popular  poetry,  can  have  any  right  to  claim/ 

"  I  have  strangely  misconceived  the  meaLing  ol 


88  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

the  letter,  or  this  has  been  a  day  of  folly!"  said 
Ludlow,  endeavoring  to  swallow  his  discontent.  "  But, 
no ;  I  have  your  own  words  to  refute  that  averted 
eye  and  cold  look ;  and,  by  the  faith  of  a  sailor  J 
Alida,  I  will  believe  your  deliberate  and  well-reflect 
ed  thoughts,  before  these  capricious  fancie  s,  which 
are  iinvorthy  of  your  nature.  Here  are  the  very 
words;  I  shall  not  easily  part  with  the  flattering 
hopes  they  convey  ! " 

La  belle  Barberie  now  regarded  the  young  mar. 
in  open  amazement.  Her  color  changed ;  for  of  the 
indiscretion  of  writing,  she  knew  she  was  not  guilt 
less, — but  of  having  written  in  terms  to  justify  the  con 
fidence  of  the  other,  she  felt  no  consciousness.  The 
customs  of  the  age,  the  profession  of  her  suitor,  and 
the  hour,  induced  her  to  look  steadily  into  his  face, 
to  see  whether  the  man  stood  before  her  in  all  the 
decency  of  his  reason.  But  Ludlow  had  the  reputa 
tion  of  being  exempt  from  a  vice  that  was  then  but 
too  common  among  seamen,  and  there  was  nothing 
in  his  ingenuous  and  really  handsome  features,  to 
cause  her  to  distrust  his  present  discretion.  She 
touched  a  bell,  and  signed  to  her  companion  to  be 
seated. 

"  Francois,"  said  his  mistress,  when  the  old  valet 
but  half  awake,  entered  the  apartment,  "  fais  moi  le 
plaisir  de  m'apporter  de  cette  eau  de  la  fontaine  du 
bosquet,  et  du  vin — le  Capitaine  Ludlow  a  soif ;  et 
rapelle-toi,  bon  Francois,  il  ne  faut  pas  deranger  mon 
oncle  a  cette  heure ;  il  doit  etre  bien  fatigue  de  son 
voyage." 

When  her  respectful  and  respectable  servitor  had 
received  his  commission  and  departed,  Alida  took  a 
seat  herself,  in  the  confidence  of  having  deprived  the 
visit  of  Ludlow  of  its  clandestine  character,  and  at 
the  same  time  having  employed  the  valet  on  an 
errand  that  would  leave  her  sufficient  leisure,  to  in 
vestigate  the  inexplicable  meaning  of  her  companion 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  89 

"  You  have  my  word,  Captain  Ludlow,  that  this 
unseasonable  appearance  in  the  pavilion,  is  indiscreet, 
not  to  call  it  cruel,"  she  said,  so  soon  as  they  were 
again  alone ;  "  but  that  you  have  it,  in  any  manner, 
to  justify  your  imprudence,  1  must  continue  to  doubt 
until  confronted  by  proof." 

"  I  had  thought  to  have  made  a  very  different  us 
of  this,"  returned  Ludlow,  drawing  a  letter, — we 
admit  it  with  some  reluctance  in  one  so  simple  and 
so  manly, — from  his  bosom :  "  and  even  now,  I  take 
shame  in  producing  it,  though  at  your  own  orders." 

"  Some  magic  has  wrought  a  marvel,  or  the  scrawl 
has  no  such  importance,"  observed  Alida,  taking  a 
billet  that  she  now  began  to  repent  having  ever 
written.  "  The  language  of  politeness  and  female  re 
serve  must  admit  of  strange  perversions,  or  all  who 
read  are  not  the  best  interpreters." 

La  belle  Barberie  ceased  speaking,  for  the  instant 
her  eye  fell  on  the  paper,  an  absorbing  and  intense 
curiosity  got  the  better  of  her  resentment.  We  shall 
give  the  contents  of  the  letter,  precisely  in  the  words 
which  caused  so  much  amazement,  and  possibly  some 
little  uneasiness,  to  the  fair  creature  who  was  pe 
rusing  it. 

"  The  life  of  a  seaman,"  said  the  paper,  in  a  deli 
cate  and  beautiful  female  hand,"  is  one  of  danger 
and  exposure.  It  inspires  confidence  in  woman,  by 
the  frankness  to  which  it  gives  birth,  and  it  merits 
indulgence  by  its  privations.  She  who  writes  this,  is 
not  insensible  to  the  merit  of  men  of  this  bold  calling. 
Admiration  for  the  sea,  and  for  those  who  live  on  it 
has  been  her  weakness  through  life ;  and  her  visions 
of  the  future,  like  her  recollections  of  the  past,  are 
not  entirely  exempt  from  a  contemplation  of  its 
pleasures.  The  usages  of  different  nations — glory  in 
arms — change  of  scene — with  constancy  in  the  affec 
tions,  all  sweetened  by  affluence,  are  temptations  too 
strong  for  a  female  imagination  and  they  should  not 
H2 


90  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

oe  without  their  influence  on  the  judgment  of  man 
Adieu." 

This  note  was  read,  re-perused,  and  for  the  third 
time  conned,  ere  Alida  ventured  to  raise  her  eyes  to 
the  face  of  the  expectant  young  man. 

"  And  this  indelicate  and  unfeminine  rhapsody, 
Captain  Ludlow  has  seen  proper  to  ascribe  to  me!" 
she  said,  while  her  voice  trembled  between  pride  and 
mortification. 

"  To  whom  else  can  I  impute  it  ?"  No  other,  lovely 
'  Alida,  could  utter  language  so  charming,  in  words  so 
properly  chosen." 

The  long  lashes  of  the  maiden  played  quickly 
above  their  dark  organs,  and  then,  conquering  feel 
ings  that  were  strangely  in  contradiction  to  each 
other,  she  said  with  dignity,  turning  to  a  little  ebony 
escritoire  which  lay  beside  her  dressing-box — 

"  My  correspondence  is  neither  very  important 
nor  very  extensive ;  but  such  as  it  is,  happily  for  the 
reputation  of  the  writer's  taste,  if  not  for  her  sanity, 
I  believe  it  is  in  my  power  to  show  the  trifle  I 
thought  it  decorous  to  write,  in  reply  to  your  own 
letter.  "  Here  is  a  copy,"  she  added,  opening  what 
in  fact  was  a  draught,  and  reading  aloud. 

"  I  thank  Capt.  Ludlow  for  his  attention  in  afford 
ing  me  an  opportunity  of  reading  a  narrative  of  the 
cruel  deeds  of  the  buccaneers.  In  addition  to  the 
ordinary  feelings  of  humanity,  one  cannot  but  regret, 
that  men  so  heartless  are  to  be  found  in  a  profession 
that  is  commonly  thought  to  be  generous  and  tender 
of  the  weak.  We  will,  however,  hope,  that  the  very 
wicked  and  cowardly,  among  seamen,  exist  only  aa 
foils  to  render  the  qualities  of  the  very  bold  and 
manly  more  conspicuous.  No  one  can  be  more  sen 
sible  of  this  truth  than  the  friends  of  Captain  Lud- 
low,"  the  voice  of  Alida  fell  a  little,  as  she  came  to 
this  sentence,  *  who  has  not  now  to  earn  a  reputa 
tion  for  mercy  In  return,  I  send  the  copy  of  the  Cid* 


THE    WATER- WITCH  91 

which  honest  Francois  affirms  to  be  superior  to  al . 
other  poems,  not  even  excepting  Homer — a  book, 
which  I  believe  he  is  innocent  of  calumniating,  from 
ignorance  of  its  contents.  Again  thanking  Capt. 
Ludlow  for  this  instance  of  his  repeated  attentions 
I  beg  he  will  keep  the  volume,  until  he  shall  return 
from  his  intended  cruise." 

"  This  note  is  but  a  copy  of  the  one  you  have,  or 
ought  to  have,"  said  the  niece  of  the  Alderman,  as 
she  raised  her  glowing  face  from  leaning  over  the 
paper,  "  though  it  is  not  signed,  like  that,  with  the 
name  of  Alida  de  Barberie." 

When  this  explanation  was  over,  both  parties  sat 
looking  at  each  other,  in  silent  amazement.  Still 
Alida  saw,  or  thought  she  saw,  that,  notwithstanding 
the  previous  professions  of  her  admirer,  the  young 
man  rejoiced  he  had  been  deceived.  Respect  for 
delicacy  and  reserve  in  the  other  sex  is  so  general 
and  so  natural  among  men,  that  they  who  succeed 
the  most  in  destroying  its  barriers,  rarely  fail  to 
regret  their  triumph ;  and  he  who  truly  loves  can 
never  long  exult  in  any  violation  of  propriety,  in  the 
object  of  his  affections,  even  though  the  concession 
be  made  in  his  own  favor.  Under  the  influence  of 
this  commendable  and  healthful  feeling,  Ludlow, 
while  he  was  in  some  respects  mortified  at  the  turn 
affairs  had  taken,  felt  sensibly  relieved  from  a  load 
of  doubt,  to  which  the  extraordinary  language  of  the 
letter,  he  believed  his  mistress  to  have  written,  had 
given  birth.  His  companion  read  the  state  of  his 
mind,  in  a  countenance  that  was  frank  as  face  of 
sailor  could  be ;  and  though  secretly  pleased  to  gain 
her  former  place  in  his  respect,  she  was  also  vexed 
and  wounded  that  he  had  ever  presumed  to  distrust 
her  reserve.  She  still  held  the  inexplicable  billet, 
and  her  eyes  naturally  sought  the  lines.  A  sudder 
thought  seemed  to  strike  her  mind,  and  returning  the 
paper,  she  said  coldly — 


1)2  THE    WATER-WITCH 

"  Captain  Ludlow  should  know  his  correspondent 
better ;  I  much  mistake  if  this  be  the  first  of  hei 
communications." 

The  young  man  colored  to  the  temples,  and  hid 
his  face,  for  a  moment,  in  the  hollow  of  his  hands. 

"  You  admit  the  truth  of  my  suspicions,"  continued 
la  belle  Barberie,  "  and  cannot  be  insensible  of  my 
justice,  when  I  add,  that  henceforth " 

"Listen  to  me,  Alida,"  cried  the  youth,  half  breath 
less  in  his  haste  to  interrupt  a  decision  that  he  dread 
ed  ;  "  hear  me,  and  as  Heaven  is  my  judge,  you  shall 
hear  only  truth.  I  confess  this  is  not  the  first  of  the 
letters,  written  in  the  same  hand — perhaps  I  should 
say  in  the  same  spirit — but,  on  the  honor  of  a  loyal 
officer,  I  affirm,  that  until  circumstances  led  me  to 
think  myself  so  happy — so — very  happy, — " 

"  I  understand  you,  Sir :  the  work  was  anonymous, 
until  you  saw  fit  to  inscribe  my  name  as  its  author. 
Ludlow  !  Ludlow !  how  meanly  have  you  thought  ot 
the  woman  you  profess  to  love ! " 

"  That  were  impossible  !  I  mingle  little  with  those 
who  study  the  finesse  of  life ;  and  loving,  as  I  do,  my 
noble  profession,  Alida, .was  it  so  unnatural  to  believe 
that  another  might  view  it  with  the  same  eyes  1  But 
since  you  disavow  the  letter — nay,  your  disavowal  is 
unnecessary — I  see  my  vanity  has  even  deceived  me 
in  the  writing — but  since  the  delusion  is  over,  I  con 
fess  that  I  rejoice  it  is  not  so." 

La  belle  Barberie  smiled,  and  her  countenance 
grew  brighter.  She  enjoyed  the  triumph  of  knowing 
that  she  merited  the  respect  of  her  suitor,  and  it  was 
a  triumph  heightened  by  recent  mortification.  Then 
succeeded  a  pause  of  more  than  a  minute.  The  em 
barrassment  of  the  silence  was  happily  interrupted 
by  the  return  of  Francois. 

"  Mam'selle  Alide,  voici  de  1'eau  de  la  fontaine,* 
siid  the  valet;  " mais  Monsieur  votre  oncle  s'est 
couche,  et  il  a  mis  la  clef  de  la  cave  au  vin  dessoua 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  93 

son  oreiJkr.  Ma  foi,  ce  n'est  pas  facile  d'avoir  du  bon 
vin  dii  t<>ut,  en  Amerique,  mais  apres  que  Monsieur 
le  maire  s'est  couche,  c'est  toujours  impossible; 
voila!" 

"  N'importe,  mon  cher ;  le  capitaine  va  partir,  et 
il  n'a  plus  soif." 

"  Dere  is  assez  de  jin,"  continued  the  valet,  who 
felt  for  the  captain's  disappointment,  "mais,  Monsieur 
Loodle,  have  du  gout,  an'  he  n'aime  pas  so  strong 
liqueur." 

"  He  has  swallowed  already  more  than  was  neces 
sary  for  one  occasion,"  said  Alida,  smiling  on  her 
admirer,  in  a  manner  that  left  him  doubtful  whether 
he  ought  most  to  repine,  or  to  rejoice.  "  Thank  you, 
good  Francois;  your  duty  for  the  night  shall  end 
with  lighting  the  captain  to  the  door." 

Then  saluting  the  young  commander,  in  a  manner 
that  would  not  admit  of  denial,  la  belle  Barberie 
dismissed  her  lover  and  the  valet,  together. 

"  You  have  a  pleasant  office,  Monsieur  Francois," 
said  the  former,  as  he  was  lighted  to  the  outer  dcor 
of  the  pavilion ;  "  it  is  one  that  many  a  gallant  gen 
tleman  would  envy." 

"  Oui,  Sair.  It  be  grand  plaisir  to  serve  Mam'selle 
Alide.  Je  porte  de  fan,  de  book,  mais  quant  au  vin 
Monsieur  le  Capitaine,  parole  d'honneur,  c'est  tou 
jours  impossible  apres  que  1'Aldermain  s'est  couche," 

"  Ay — the  book — I  think  you  had  the  agreeable 
duty,  to-day,  of  carrying  the  book  of  la  Belle'?" 

"  Vraiment,  oui !  'Twas  ouvrage  de  Monsieur 
Pierre  Corneille.  On  pretend,  que  Monsieur  Shak-a- 
«pear  en  a  emprunte  d'assez  beaux  sentiments!" 

"And  the  paper  between  the  leaves? — you  were 
charged  also  with  that  note,  good  Francois?" 

The  valet  paused,  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and 
laid  one  of  his  long  yellow  fingers  on  the  plane  of 
\n  enormous  aquiline  nose,  while  he  seemed  to  muse. 
Then  shaking  his  head  perpendicularly,  he  preceded 


94  THE   WATER-WITCH. 

the  captain,  as  before,  muttering,  as  usual,  half  in 
French  and  lialf  in  English, — 

"  For  le  papier,  I  know,  rien  du  tout ;  c'est  bien 
possible,  parceque,  voyez  vous,  Monsieur  le  Capitaine, 
Mctrn'selle  Alide  did  say,  prenez-y  garde ;  but  I  no 
see  him,  depuis.  Je  suppose  'twas  beaux  compliments 
Merits  on  de  vers  of  M.  Pierre  Corneille.  Quel  genie 
que  cclui  de  cet  homme  la! — n'est  ce  pas,  Monsieur  t" 

"  It  is  of  no  consequence,  good  Francois,"  said 
Ludlovv,  slipping  a  guinea  into  the  hands  of  the  valet 
"  If  you  should  ever  discover  what  became  of  that 
paper,  however,  you  will  oblige  me  by  letting  me 
know.  Good  night;  mes  devoirs  a  la  Belle!" 

"  Bon  soir,  Monsieur  le  Capitaine ;  c'est  un  brave 
Monsieur  que  celui-la,  et  de  tres  bonne  famille !  II 
n'a  pas  de  si  grandes  terres,  que  Monsieur  le  Patte- 
roon,  pourtant,  on  dit,  qu'il  doit  avoir  de  jolies  maisons 
et  assez  de  rentes  publiques !  J'aime  a  servir  un  si 
genereux  et  loyal  maitre,  mais,  malheureusement,  il 
est  marin !  M.  de  Barberie  n'avait  pas  trop  d'amitie 
pour  les  gens  de  cette  profession  la.'* 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  98 


CHAPTER  VIII 

«« — Well,  Jessica,  go  in; 

Perhaps,  I  will  return  immediately; 

Do  a?  1  bid  you, 

Shut  dooiv.  after  you :  Fast  bind,  fast  find ; 

A  proverb  never  stale,  in  thrifty  mind." 

MERCHANT  or  VENICE. 

THE  decision,  with  which  la  demoiselle  Barberie 
aad  dismissed  her  suitor,  was  owing  to  some  con 
sciousness  that  she  had  need  of  opportunity  to  reflect 
on  the  singular  Lature  of  the  events  which  had  just 
happened,  no  less  than  to  a  sense  of  the  impropriety 
of  his  visiting  her  at  that  hour,  and  in  a  manner  so 
equivocal,  But,  like  others  who  act  from  feverish 
impulses,  when  alone  the  maiden  repented  of  her 
precipitation ;  and  she  remembered  fifty  questions 
which  might  aid  in  clearing  the  affair  of  its  mystery, 
that  she  would  now  gladly  put.  It  was  too  late, 
however,  for  she  had  heard  Ludlow  take  his  leave, 
and  had  listened,  in  breathless  silence,  to  his  footstep, 
as  he  passed  the  shrubbery  of  her  little  lawn.  Fran- 
^ois  reappeared  at  the  door,  to  repeat  his  wishes  for 
her  rest  and  happiness,  and  then  she  believed  she 
was  finally  alone  for  the  night,  since  the  ladies  of 
that  age  and  country,  were  little  apt  to  require  the 
assistance  of  their  attendants,  in  assuming,  or  in  di 
vesting  themselves  of,  their  ordinary  attire. 

It  was  still  early,  and  the  recent  interview  had 
deprived  Alida  of  all  inclination  for  sleep.  She 
placed  the  lights  in  a  distant  corner  of  the  apart- 
ment,  and  approached  a  window.  The  moon  had 
BO  far  changed  its  position,  as  to  cast  a  different  light 
upon  the  water.  The  holiow  washing  of  the  surf, 
the  dull  but  heavy  breathing  of  the  air  from  the 
sea,  and  the  soft  shadows  of  the  trees  and  mountain 


96  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

were  much  the  same.  The  Coquette  lay,  as  before 
at  her  anchor  near  the  cape,  and  the  Shrewsbury 
glittered  towards  the  south,  until  its  surface  was  con 
cealed  by  the  projection  of  a  high  and  nearly  per 
pendicular  bluff 

The  stillness  was  profound,  for,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  the  dwelling  of  the  family  who  occupied  the 
estate  nearest  the  villa,  there  was  no  other  habita 
tion  within  some  miles  of  the  place.  Still  the  soli 
tude  of  the  situation  was  undisturbed  by  any  appre 
hension  of  danger,  or  any  tradition  of  violence  from 
rude  and  lawless  men.  The  peaceable  character  ol 
the  colonists,  who  dwelt  in  the  interior  country,  was 
proverbial,  and  their  habits  simple ;  while  the  ocean 
was  never  entered  by  those  barbarians,  who  then 
rendered  some  of  the  seas  of  the  other  hemisphere 
as  fearful  as  they  were  pleasant. 

Notwithstanding  this  known  and  customary  chai- 
acter  of  tranquillity,  and  the  lateness  of  the  hour, 
Alida  had  not  been  many  moments  in  her  balcony, 
before  she  heard  the  sound  of  oars.  The  stroke  was 
measured,  and  the  noise  low  and  distant,  but  it  was 
too  familiar  to  be  mistaken.  She  wondered  at  the 
expedition  of  Ludlow,  who  was  not  accustomed  to 
show  such  haste  in  quitting  her  presence,  and  leaned 
over  the  railing  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  his  departing 
boat.  Each  moment  she  expected  to  see  the  little 
bark  issue  from  out  of  the  shadows  of  the  land,  into 
the  sheet  of  brightness  which  stretched  nearly  to  the 
cruiser.  She  gazed  long,  and  in  vain,  for  no  barge 
appeared,  and  yet  the  sound  had  become  inaudible. 
A  light  still  hung  at  the  peak  of  the  Coquette,  a  sign 
that  the  commander  was  out  of  his  vessel. 

The  view  of  a  fine  ship,  seen  by  the  aid  of  the 
moon,  with  its  symmetry  of  spars,  and  its  delicate 
tracery  of  cordage,  ani  the  heavy  and  grand  move 
ments  of  the  hull  as  it  rolls  on  the  sluggish  billows 
of  a  calm  sea,  is  ever  a  pleasing  and  indeed  an  im-» 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  97 

posing  spectacle.  Alida  knew  that  more  than  a 
hundred  human  beings  slept  within  the  black  and 
silent  mass,  and  her  thoughts  insensibly  wandered  to 
the  business  of  their  daring  lives,  their  limited  abode, 
and  yet  wandering  existence,  their  frank  and  manly 
jualities,  their  devotion  to  the  cause  of  those  who 
ccupied  the  land,  their  broken  and  interrupted  con 
iiexion  with  the  rest  of  the  human  family,  and  finally 
to  those  weakened  domestic  ties,  and  to  that  reputa 
tion  for  inconstancy,  which  are  apparently  a  natural 
consequence  of  all.  She  sighed,  and  her  eye  wan 
dered  from  the  ship  to  that  ocean  on  which  it  was 
constructed  to  dwell.  From  the  distant,  low,  and 
nearly  imperceptible  shore  of  the  island  of  Nassau, 
to  the  coast  of  New-Jersey,  there  was  one  broad  and 
untenanted  waste.  Even  the  sea-fowl  rested  his 
tired  wing,  and  slept  tranquilly  on  the  water.  The 
broad  space  appeared  like  some  great  and  unfre 
quented  desert,  or  rather  like  a  denser  and  more 
material  copy  of  the  firmament  by  which  it  was 
canopied. 

It  has  been  mentioned  that  a  stunted  growth  ol 
oaks  and  pines  covered  much  of  the  sandy  ridge  that 
formed  the  cape.  The  same  covering  furnished  a 
dark  setting  to  the  waters  of  the  Cove.  Above  this 
outline  of  wood,  which  fringed  the  margin  of  the  sea. 
Alida  now  fancied  she  saw  an  object  in  motion.  At 
first,  she  believed  some  ragged  and  naked  tree,  o* 
which  the  coast  had  many,  was  so  placed  as  to  de 
ceive  her  vision,  and  had  thrown  its  naked  lines  upon 
the  back-ground  of  water,  in  a  manner  to  assume 
the  shape  and  tracery  of  a  light-rigged  vessel.  But 
when  the  dark  and  symmetrical  spars  were  distinctly 
seen,  gliding  past  objects  that  were  known  to  be  sta 
tionary,  it  was  impossible  to  doubt  their  character. 
The  maiden  wondered,  and  her  surprise  was  not  un 
mixed  with  apprehension.  It  seemed  as  if  the  stran 
ger,  for  such  the  vessel  must  needs  be;  was  recklessly 


98  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

approaching  a  mrf,  that,  in  its  most  tranquil  mo 
ments,  was  dangerous  to  such  a  fabric,  and  that  he 
steered,  unconscious  of  hazard,  directly  upon  the 
land.  Even  the  movement  was  mysterious  and  unu 
sual.  Sails  there  were  none ;  and  yet  the  light  and 
lofty  spars  were  soon  hid  behind  a  thicket  that  co 
vered  a  knoll  near  the  margin  of  the  sea.  Alida 
expected,  each  moment,  to  hear  the  cry  of  mariners 
in  distress,  and  then,  as  the  minutes  passed  and  no 
such  fearful  sound  interrupted  the  stillness  of  the 
night,  she  began  to  bethink  her  of  those  lawless  ro 
vers,  who  were  known  to  abound  among  the  Carri- 
bean  isles,  and  who  were  said  sometimes  even  to 
enter  and  to  refit,  in  the  smaller  and  more  secret 
inlets  of  the  American  continent.  The  tales,  coupled 
with  the  deeds,  character,  and  fate  of  the  notorious 
Kidd,  were  then  still  recent,  and  although  magnified 
and  colored  by  vulgar  exaggerations,  as  all  such 
tales  are  known  to  be,  enough  was  believed,  by  the 
better  instructed,  to  make  his  life  and  death  the 
subject  of  many  curious  and  mysterious  rumors.  At 
this  moment,  she  would  have  gladly  recalled  the 
young  commander  of  the  Coquette,  to  apprize  him 
of  the  enemy  that  was  nigh ;  and  then,  ashamed  of 
terrors  that  she  was  fain  to  hope  savored  more  of 
woman's  weakness  than  of  truth,  she  endeavored  to 
believe  the  whole  some  ordinary  movement  of  a 
coaster,  who,  familiar  with  his  situation,  could  not 
possibly  be  either  in  want  of  aid,  or  an  object  of 
alarm.  Just  as  this  natural  and  consoling  conclusion 
crossed  her  mind,  she  very  audibly  heard  a  step  in 
her  pavilion.  It  seemed  near  the  door  of  the  room 
he  occupied.  Breathless,  more  with  the  excitement 
f  her  imagination,  than  with  any  actual  fear  cre- 
ted  by  this  new  cause  of  alarm,  the  maiden  quitted 
the  balcony,  and  stood  motionless  to  listen.  The  door, 
in  truth,  was  opened,  with  singular  caution,  and,  for 
an  instant,  Alida  saw  nothing  but  a  confused  area 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  99 

in  the  centre  of  which  appeared  the  figure  of  a 
menacing  and  rapacious  freebooter. 

"  Northern  lights  and  moonshine !"  growled  Al 
derman  Van  Beverout,  for  it  was  no  other  than  the 
uncle  of  the  heiress,  whose  untimely  and  unexpected 
visit  had  caused  her  so  much  alarm.  "  This  sky- 
watching,  and  turning  of  night  into  day,  will  be  the 
destruction  of  thy  beauty,  niece ;  and  then  we  shall 
see  how  plenty  Patroons  are  for  husbands  !  A  bright 
eye  and  a  blooming  cheek  are  thy  stock  in  trade, 
girl ;  and  she  is  a  spendthrift  of  both,  who  is  out  of 
her  bed  when  the  clock  hath  struck  ten." 

"  Your  discipline  would  deprive  many  a  beauty 
of  the  means  of  using  her  power,"  returned  la  de 
moiselle,  smiling,  as  much  at  the  folly  of  her  recent 
fears,  as  with  affection  for  her  reprover.  "  They 
tell  me,  that  ten  is  the  witching  time  of  night,  for  the 
necromancy  of  the  dames  of  Europe." 

"  Witch  me  no  witches !  The  name  reminds  one 
of  the  cunning  Yankees,  a  race  that  would  outwit 
Lucifer  himself,  if  left  to  set  the  conditions  to  their 
bargain.  Here  is  the  Patroon,  wishing  to  Jet  in  a 
family  of  the  knaves  among  the  honest  Dutchmen  of 
his  manor;  and  we  have  just  settled  a  dispute  be 
tween  us,  on  this  subject,  by  making  the  lawful 
trial." 

"  Which,  it  may  be  proper  to  hope,  dearest  uncle, 
was  not  the  trial  by  battle  ? " 

"  Peace  and  olive-branches,  no !  The  Patroon  of 
Kinderhook  is  the  last  man  in  the  Americas,  that  is 
likely  to  suffer  by  the  blows  of  Myndert  Van  Bever 
out.  I  challenged  the  boy  to  hold  a  fine  eel,  that 
the  blacks  have  brought  out  of  the  river  to  help  in 
breaking  our  morning  fasts,  that  it  might  be  seen  if 
he  were  fit  to  deal  with  the  slippery  rogues.  By  the 
merit  of  the  peaceable  St.  Nicholas !  but  the  son  of 
old  Hendrick  Van  Staats  had  a  busy  time  of  it! 
The  lad  griped  the  fish,  as  the  ancient  tradition  has 


00  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

it  that  thy  uncle  clenched  the  Holland  florin,  when 
my  father  put  it  between  my  fingers,  within  the 
month,  in  order  to  see  if  the  true  saving  grace  was 
likely  to  abide  in  the  family  for  another  generation. 
My  heart  misgave  me  for  a  moment ;  for  young  Oloft 
has  the  fist  of  a  vice,  and  I  thought  the  goodly 
names  of  the  Harmans,  and  Rips,  Corneliuses,  and 
Dircks  of  the  manor  rent-roll  were  likely  to  be  con 
taminated  by  the  company  of  an  Increase  or  a 
Peleg ;  but  just  as  the  Patroon  thought  he  had  the 
watery  viper  by  the  throat,  the  fish  gave  an  unex 
pected  twist,  and  slid  through  his  fingers  by  the  tail. 
Flaws  arid  loop-holes!  but  that  experiment  has  as 
much  wisdom  as  wit  in  it !" 

"  And  to  me,  it  seemeth  better,  now  that  Provi 
dence  has  brought  all  the  colonies  under  one  govern 
ment,  that  these  prejudices  should  be  forgotten.  We 
are  a  people,  sprung  from  many  nations,  and  our 
effort  should  be  to  preserve  the  liberality  and  intelli 
gence,  while  we  forget  the  weaknesses,  of  all." 

"  Bravely  said,  for  the  child  of  a  Huguenot !  But 
I  defy  the  man,  who  brings  prejudice  to  my  door.  I 
like  a  merry  trade,  and  a  quick  calculation.  Let 
me  see  the  man  in  all  New-England,  that  can  tell 
the  color  of  a  balance-sheet  quicker  than  one  that 
can  be  named,  and  I'll  gladly  hunt  up  the  satchel 
and  go  to  school  again.  1  love  a  man  the  better  for 
looking  to  his  own  interests,  I;  and,  yet  common 
honesty  teaches  us,  that  there  should  be  a  conven 
tion  between  men,  beyond  which  none  of  reputation 
and  character  ought  to  go." 

"  Which  convention  shall  be  understood,  by  every 
man,  to  be  the  limits  of  his  own  faculties ;  by  which 
means  the  dull  may  rival  the  quick  of  thought.  I 
fear  me,  uncle,  there  should  be  an  eel  kept  on  every 
coast,  to  which  a  trader  cornes!" 

"  Prejudice  and  conceit,  child,  acting  on  a  drowsy 
head;  'tis  time  thou  seekest  thy  pillow,  and  in  th« 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  101 

morning  we  shall  see  if  young  OlofF  of  the  Manor 
shall  have  better  success  with  thy  favor,  than  with 
the  prototype  of  the  Jonathans.  Here,  put  out  these 
flaring  candles,  and  take  a  modest  lamp  to  light  thee 
to  thy  bed.  Glaring  windows,  so  near  midnight 
give  a  house  an  extravagant  name,  in  the  neighbor 
hood." 

"  Our  reputation  for  sobriety  may  suffer  in  the 
opinion  of  the  eels,"  returned  Alida,  laughing,  "  but 
here  are  few  others,  I  believe,  to  call  us  dissipated." 

"  One  never  knows — one  never  knows — "  muttered 
the  Alderman,  extinguishing  the  two  large  candles 
of  his  niece,  and  substituting  his  own  little  hand- 
lamp  in  their  place.  "  This  broad  light  only  invites 
to  wakefulness,  while  the  dim  taper  I  leave  is  good 
as  a  sleeping  draught.  Kiss  me,  wilful  one,  and  draw 
thy  curtains  close,  for  the  negroes  will  soon  rise  to 
load  the  periagua,  that  they  may  go  up  with  the 
tide  to  the  city.  The  noise  of  the  chattering  black 
guards  may  disturb  thy  slumbers!" 

"Truly,  it  would  seem  there  was  little  here  to 
ii.vite  such  active  navigation,"  returned  Alida,  salut- 
iiig  the  cheek  of  her  uncle  at  his  order.  "  The  love 
of  trade  must  be  strong,  when  it  finds  the  materials 
of  commerce,  in  a  solitude  like  this." 

"  Thou  hast  divined  the  reason,  child.  Thy  father 
Monsieur  de  Barberie  had  his  peculiar  opinions  on 
the  subject,  and  doubtless  he  did  not  fail  to  transmit 
some  of  them  to  his  offspring.  And  yet,  when  the 
Huguenot  was  driven  from  his  chateau  and  his  clayey 
Norman  lands,  the  man  had  no  distaste,  himself,  for 
an  account-current,  provided  the  balance  was  in  his 
own  favor.  Nations  and  characters !  I  find  but  little 
difference,  after  all,  in  trade ;  whether  it  be  driven 
with  a  Mohawk  for  his  pack  of  furs,  or  with  a  Seig 
neur,  who  has  been  driven  from  his  lands.  Each 
strives  to  get  the  profit  on  his  own  side  of  the  ac 
count,  and  the  loss  on  that  of  his  neighbor.  So  rest 
12 


102  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

thee  well,  girl ;  and  remember  that  matrimony  is  no 
more  than  a  capital  bargain,  on  whose  success  de 
pends  the  sum-total  of  a  woman's  comfort — and  sc 
once  more,  good  night." 

La  belle  Barberie  attended  her  uncle,  dutifully 
to  the  door  of  her  pavilion,  which  she  bolted  after 
him ;  and  then,  finding  her  little  apartment  gloomy 
by  the  light  of  the  small  and  feeble  lamp  he  had  left, 
she  was  pleased  to  bring;  its  flame  in  contact  with  the 
wicks  of  the  two  candles  ne  had  just  extinguished. 
Placing  the  three,  near  each  other,  on  a  table,  the 
maiden  again  drew  nigh  a  window.  The  unexpected 
interview  with  the  Alderman  had  consumed  several 
minutes,  and  she  was  curious  to  know  more  of  the 
unaccountable  movements  of  the  mysterious  vessel. 

The  same  deep  silence  reigned  about  the  villa, 
and  the  slumbering  ocean  was  heaving  and  setting 
as  heavily  as  before.  Alida  again  looked  for  the  boat 
of  Ludlow ;  but  her  eye  ran  over  the  whole  distance 
of  the  bright  and  broad  streak,  between  her  and  the 
cruiser,  in  vain.  There  was  the  slight  ripple  of  the 
water  in  the  glittering  of  the  moon's  rays,  but  no 
speck,  like  that  the  barge  would  make,  was  visible. 
The  lantern  still  shone  at  the  cruiser's  peak.  Once, 
indeed,  she  thought  the  sound  ci  oars  was  again  to 
be  heard,  and  much  nearer  than  before;  and  yet 
no  effort  of  her  quick  and  roving  sight  could  detect 
the  position  of  the  boat.  But  to  all  these  doubts  suc 
ceeded  an  alarm  which  sprang  from  a  new  and  very 
different  source. 

The  existence  of  the  inlet,  which  united  the 
ocean  with  the  waters  of  the  Cove,  was  but  little 
known,  except  to  the  few  whose  avocations  kept 
them  near  the  spot.  The  pass  being  much  more  than 
half  the  time  closed,  its  varying  character,  and  the 
little  use  that  could  be  made  of  it  under  any  circum 
stances,  prevented  the  place  from  being  a  subject  of 
general  interest,  with  the  coasters.  Even  when  open, 


THE    WATER-WITCH. 


the  depth  of  its  water  was  uncertain,  since  a  week 
or  two  of  calms,  or  of  westerly  winds,  would  permit 
the  tides  to  clean  its  channel,  while  a  single  easterly 
gale  was  sufficient  to  choke  the  entire  inlet  with 
sand.  No  wonder,  then,  that  Alida  felt  an  amazement 
which  was  not  quite  free  from  superstitious  alarm 
when,  at  that  hour  and  in  such  a  scene,  she  saw  a 
vessel  gliding,  as  it  were  unaided  by  sails  or  sweeps, 
out  of  the  thicket  that  fringed  the  ocean  side  of  the 
Cove,  into  its  very  centre. 

The  strange  and  mysterious  craft  was  a  brigantine 
of  that  mixed  construction,  which  is  much  used,  even 
in  the  most  ancient  and  classical  seas  of  the  other 
hemisphere,  and  which  is  supposed  to  unite  the  ad 
vantages  of  both  a  square  and  of  a  fore-and-aft  rigged 
vessel,  but  which  is  nowhere  seen  to  display  the 
same  beauty  of  form,  and  symmetry  of  equipment, 
as  on  the  coasts  of  this  Union.  The  first  and  smallest 
of  its  masts  had  all  the  complicated  machinery  of  a 
ship,  with  its  superior  and  inferior  spars,  its  wider 
reaching,  though  light  and  manageable  yards,  and 
its  various  sails,  shaped  and  arranged  to  meet  every 
vicissitude  and  caprice  of  the  winds;  while  the  latter, 
or  larger  of  the  two,  rose  like  the  straight  trunk  of 
a  pine  from  the  hull,  simple  in  its  cordage,  and 
spreading  a  single  sheet  of  canvas,  that,  in  itself,  was 
sufficient  to  drive  the  fabric  with  vast  velocity 
through  the  water.  The  hull  was  low,  graceful  in 
its  outlines,  dark  as  the  raven's  wing,  and  so  modelled 
as  to  float  on  its  element  like  a  sea-gull  riding  the 
billows.  There  were  many  delicate  and  attenuated 
lines  among  its  spars,  which  were  intended  to  spreac1 
broader  folds  of  canvas  to  the  light  airs,  when  neces 
sary  ;  but  these  additions  to  the  tracery  of  the  ma 
chine,  which  added  so  much  to  its  beauty  by  day, 
were  now,  seen  as  it  was  by  the  dimmer  and  more 
treacherous  rays  of  the  moon,  scarcely  visible.  In 
*hoit,  as  the  vessel  had  entered  the  Cove  floating 


104  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

with  the  tide,  and  it  was  so  singularly  graceful  and 
fairy-like  in  form,  that  Alida,  at  first,  was  fain  to  dis 
credit  her  senses,  and  to  believe  it  no  more  than  some 
illusion  of  the  fancy.  Like  most  others,  she  was  igno 
rant  of  the  temporary  inlet,  and,  under  the  circum 
stances,  it  was  not  difficult  to  lend  a  momentary 
credence  to  so  pleasing  an  idea. 

But  the  delusion  was  only  momentary.  The  brig- 
antine  turned  in  its  course,  and,  gliding  into  the  part 
of  the  Cove  where  the  curvature  of  the  shores 
offered  most  protection  from  the  winds  and  waves, 
and  perhaps  from  curious  eyes,  its  motion  ceased.  A 
heavy  plunge  in  the  water  was  audible  even  at  the 
villa,  and  Alida  then  knew  that  an  anchor  had  fallen 
into  the  bay. 

Although  the  coast  of  North  America  offered  little 
to  invite  lawless  depredation,  and  it  was  in  general 
believed  to  be  so  safe,  yet  the  possibility  that  cupidity 
might  be  invited  by  the  retired  situation  of  her  uncle's 
villa,  did  not  fail  to  suggest  itself  to  the  mind  of  the 
young  heiress.  Both  she  and  her  guardian  were 
reputed  to  be  wealthy ;  and  disappointment,  on  the 
open  sea,  might  drive  desperate  men  to  the  commis 
sion  of  crimes  that  in  more  prosperous  moments 
would  not  suggest  themselves.  The  freebooters  were 
said  to  have  formerly  visited  the  coast  of  the  neigh 
boring  island,  and  men  were  just  then  commencing 
those  excavations  for  hidden  treasures  and  secreted 
booty,  which  have  been,  at  distant  intervals,  con< 
tinued  to  our  own  time. 

There  are  situations  in  which  the  mind  insensibly 
gives  credit  to  impressions,  that  the  reason  in  common 
lisapproves.  The  present  was  one  in  which  Alida 
e  Barberie,  though  of  a  resolute  and  even  a  mascu- 
,ine  understanding,  felt  disposed  to  believe  there 
might  be  truth  in  those  tales,  that  she  bad  hitherto 
heard,  only  to  deride.  Still  keeping  her  eye  on  the 
vessel,  she  drew  back  into  her  window, 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  105 

and  wrapped  the  curtain  round  her  form,  undecided 
whether  to  alarm  the  family  or  not,  and  acting  under 
a  vague  impression  that,  though  so  distant,  her  person 
might  be  seen.  She  was  hardly  thus-  secreted,  before 
the  shrubbery  was  violently  agitated,  a  footstep  was 
heard  in  the  lawn  beneath  her  window,  and  then 
one  leaped  so  lightly  into  the  balcony,  and  from  the 
balcony  into  the  centre  of  the  room,  that  the  passage 
of  the  figure  seemed  like  the  flitting  of  some  creature 
of  supernatural  attributes. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

"  Why  look  you,  how  you  stare ! 

I  would  be  friends  with  you,  and  have  your  Jove." 

SHYLOCK. 

THE  first  impulse  of  Alida,  at  this  second  invasion 
of  her  pavilion,  was  certainly  to  flee.  But  timidity 
was  not  her  weakness,  and  as  natural  firmness 
gave  her  time  to  examine  the  person  of  the  indi 
vidual  who  had  so  unceremoniously  entered,  curiosity 
aided  in  inducing  her  to  remain.  Perhaps  a  vague, 
but  a  very  natural,  expectation  that  she  was  again 
to  dismiss  the  commander  of  the  Coquette,  had  its 
influence  on  her  first  decision.  In  order  that  the 
reader  may  judge  how  far  this  boldness  was  excusa 
ble,  we  shall  describe  the  person  of  the  intruder. 

The  stranger  was  one  in  the  very  bud  of  young 
and  active  manhood.  His  years  could  not  have  ex 
ceeded  two-and-twenty,  nor  would  he  probably  have 
been  thought  so  old,  had  not  his  features  been  shaded 
by  a  rich,  brown  hue,  that  in  some  degree,  served  as 
a  foil  to  a  natural  complexion,  which,  though  never 
fair,  was  still  clear  and  blooming.  A  pair  of  dark. 


106  THE   WATER- WITCH. 

bushy,  and  jet-black,  silken  whiskers,  that  were  in 
singular  contrast  to  eye-lashes  and  brows  of  almost 
feminine  beauty  and  softness,  aided  also  in  giving  a 
decided  expression  to  a  face  that  might  otherwise 
have  been  wanting  in  some  of  that  character  which 
is  thought  essential  to  comeliness  in  man.  The  fore^ 
nead  was  smooth  and  low ;  the  nose,  though  promi 
nent  and  bold  in  outline,  of  exceeding  delicacy  in 
detail ;  the  mouth  and  lips  full,  a  little  inclined  to  be 
arch,  though  the  former  appeared  as  if  it  might  at 
times  be  pensive ;  the  teeth  were  even  and  unsullied; 
and  the  chin  was  small,  round,  dimpled,  and  so  care 
fully  divested  of  the  distinguishing  mark  of  the  sex, 
that  one  could  fancy  nature  had  contributed  all  its 
growth  to  adorn  the  neighboring  cheeks  and  temples. 
If  to  these  features  be  added  a  pair  of  full  and 
brilliant  coal-black  eyes,  that  appeared  to  vary  their 
expression  at  their  master's  will,  the  reader  will  at 
once  see,  that  the  privacy  of  Alida  had  been  invaded 
by  one  whose  personal  attractions  might,  under  other 
circumstances,  have  been  dangerous  to  the  imagina 
tion  of  a  female,  whose  taste  was  in  some  degree 
influenced  by  a  standard  created  by  her  own  love 
liness. 

The  dress  of  the  stranger  was  as  unique  as  his 
personal  attractions  were  extraordinary.  The  fashion 
of  the  garments  resembled  that  of  those  already  de 
scribed  as  worn  by  the  man  who  has  announced 
himself  as  Master  Tiller;  but  the  materials  were 
altogether  richer,  and,  judging  only  from  the  ex 
terior,  more  worthy  of  the  wearer. 

The  light  frock  was  of  a  thick  purple  silk,  of  an 
Indian  manufacture,  cut  with  exceeding  care  to  fit 
the  fine  outlines  of  a  form  that  was  rather  round, 
than  square ;  active,  than  athletic.  The  loose  trow- 
sers  were  of  a  fine  white  jean,  the  cap  of  scarlet 
velvet,  ornamented  with  gold,  and  the  body  was 
belted  with  a  large  cord  of  scarlet  silk,  twisted  iw 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  107 

the  form  of  a  ship's  cable.  At  the  ends  of  the  latter, 
little  anchors,  wrought  in  bullion,  were  attached  as 
gay  and  fitting  appendages. 

Jn  contrast  to  an  attire  so  whimsical  and  uncom 
mon,  however,  a  pair  of  small  and  richly-mounted 
pistols  were  at  the  stranger's  girdle ;  and  the  haft 
of  a  curiously-carved  Asiatic  dagger  was  seen  pro 
jecting,  rather  ostentatiously,  from  between  the  foldi 
of  the  upper  garment. 

"What  cheer!  what  cheer  !"  cried  a  voice,  that 
was  more  in  harmony  with  the  appearance  of  the 
speaker,  than  with  the  rough,  professional  salutation 
he  uttered,  so  soon  as  he  had  fairly  landed  in  the 
centre  of  Alida's  little  saloon.  "  Come  forth,  my 
dealer  in  the  covering  of  the  beaver,  for  here  is  one 
who  brings  gold  to  thy  coffers.  Ha !  now  that  this 
trio  of  lights  hath  done  its  office,  it  may  be  extin 
guished,  lest  it  pilot  others  to  the  forbidden  haven!" 

"  Your  pardon,  Sir,"  said  the  mistress  of  the  pa 
vilion,  advancing  from  behind  the  curtain,  with  an 
air  of  coolness  that  her  beating  heart  had  nigh  be 
trayed  to  be  counterfeit ;  "  having  so  unexpected  a 
guest  to  entertain,  the  additional  candles  are  neces 
sary." 

The  start,  recoil,  and  evident  alarm  of  the  intru 
der,  lent  Alida  a  little  more  assurance ;  for  courage 
is  a  quality  that  appears  to  gain  force,  in  a  degree 
proportioned  to  the  amount  in  which  it  is  abstracted 
from  the  dreaded  object.  Still,  when  she  saw  a  hand 
on  a  pistol,  the  maiden  was  again  about  to  flee ;  nor 
was  her  resolution  to  remain  confirmed,  until  she 
met  the  mild  and  alluring  eye  of  the  intruder,  as, 
quitting  his  hold  of  the  weapon,  he  advanced  with 
an  air  so  mild  and  graceful,  as  to  cause  curiosity  to 
take  the  place  of  fear. 

"  Though  Alderman  Van  Beverout  be  not  punctual 
to  his  appointment,"  said  the  gay  young  stranger 
*  he  has  more  than  atoned  for  his  absence  by  irm 


i08  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

substitute  he  sends.     I  hope  she  comes  authorized  t« 
arrange  the  whole  of  our  treaty  1 " 

"  I  claim  no  right  to  hear,  or  to  dictate,  in  matters 
not  my  own.     My  utmost  poweis  extend  to  express 
ing  a  desire,  that  this  pavilion  may  be  exempt  from 
the  discussion  of  affairs,  as  much  beyond  my  know 
edge  as  they  are  separated  from  my  interests." 

"Then  why  this  signal?"  demanded  the  stranger, 
pointing,  with  a  serious  air,  to  the  lights  that  still 
burned  near  each  other  in  face  of  an  open  window. 
"  It  is  awkward  to  mislead,  in  transactions  that  are 
so  delicate!" 

"Your  allusion,  Sir,  is  not  understood.  These 
lights  are  no  more  than  what  are  usually  seen  in  my 
apartment  at  this  hour — with,  indeed,  the  addition 
of  a  lamp,  left  by  my  uncle,  Alderman  Van  Bever- 
out." 

"  Your  uncle  ! "  exclaimed  the  other,  advancing  so 
near  Alida,  as  to  cause  her  to  retire  a  step,  his  coun 
tenance  expressing  a  deep  and  newly-awakened  in 
terest — "  your  uncle  ! — This,  then,  is  one  far-famed 
and  justly  extolled ;  la  belle  Barberie ! "  he  added, 
gallantly  lifting  his  cap,  as  if  he  had  just  discovered 
the  condition  and  the  unusual  personal  attractions  of 
his  companion. 

It  was  not  in  nature  for  Alida  to  be  displeased. 
All  her  fancied  causes  of  terror  were  forgotten ;  for, 
in  addition  to  their  improbable  and  uncertain  nature, 
the  stranger  had  sufficiently  given  her  to  understand, 
that  he  was  expected  by  her  uncle.  If  we  add, 
that  the  singular  attraction  and  softness  of  his  face 
and  voice  aided  in  quieting  her  fears,  we  shall  proba 
bly  do  no  violence  either  to  the  truth  or  to  a  very 
natural  feeling.  Profoundly  ignorant  of  the  details 
of  commerce,  and  accustomed  to  hear  its  mysteries 
extolled  as  exercising  the  keenest  and  best  faculties 
of  man,  she  saw  nothing  extraordinary  in  those  who 
were  actively  engaged  in  the  pursuit  having  reason* 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  109 

for  concealing  their  movements  from  the  jealousy 
and  rivalry  of  competitors.  Like  most  of  her  sex, 
she  had  great  dependence  on  the  characters  of  those 
sfie  loved ;  and,  though  nature,  education,  and  habit, 
had  created  a  striking  difference  between  the  guar 
dian  and  his  ward,  their  harmony  had  never  been 
interrupted  by  any  breach  of  affection. 

"This  then  is  la  belle  Barberie!"  repeated  the 
young  sailor,  for  such  his  dress  denoted  him  to  be, 
studying  her  features  with  an  expression  of  face,  in 
which  pleasure  vied  with  evident  and  touching  mel 
ancholy.  "  Fame  hath  done  no  injustice,  for  here  is 
all  that  might  justify  the  folly  or  madness  of  man !" 

"This  is  familiar  dialogue  for  an  utter  stranger,*' 
returned  Alida,  blushing,  though  the  quick  dark  eye 
that  seemed  to  fathom  all  her  thoughts,  saw  it  was 
not  in  anger.  "  I  do  not  deny  that  the  partiality  of 
friends,  coupled  with  my  origin,  have  obtained  the 
appellation,  which  is  given,  however,  more  in  play 
fulness  than  in  any  serious  opinion  of  its  being  mer 
ited — and  now,  as  the  hour  is  getting  late,  and  this 
visit  is  at  least  unusual,  you  will  permit  me  to  seek 
my  uncle." 

"  Stay  ! "  interrupted  the  stranger — "  it  \s  long — 
very  long,  fince  so  soothing,  so  gentle  a  pleasure  has 
been  mine !  This  is  a  life  of  mysteries,  beautiful 
Alida,  though  its  incidents  seem  so  vulgf.r,  and  of 
every-day  occurrence.  There  is  myster)  in  its  be 
ginning  ant)  its  end ;  in  its  impulses ;  its  sympathies 
and  all  its  discordant  passions.  No,  do  not  quit  me. 
I  am  from  off  the  sea,  where  none  but  coarse  and 
vulgar-minded  men  have  long  been  n,y  associates; 
and  thy  presence  is  a  balm  to  a  bruised  and  wounded 
spirit." 

Interested,  if  possible,  more  by  the  touching  and 
melancho'y  tones  of  the  speaker,  than  ^y  his  extra 
ordinary  language,  Alida  hesitated.    Her  reason  told 
her  that  propriety,  and  even  prudence,  required  she 
K 


110  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

should  apprize  her  uncle  of  the  stranger's  presence 
but  propriety  and  prudence  lose  much  of  their  mflu 
ence,  when  female 'curiosity  is  sustained  by  a  secret 
and  powerful  sympathy.   Her  own  eloquent  eye  met 
the  open  and  imploring  look  of  organs,  that  seemed 
endowed  with  the  fabled  power  to  charm ;  and  whil 
her  judgment  told  her  there  was  so  much  to  alarm 
her  senses  pleaded  powerfully  in  behalf  of  the  gentle 
mariner. 

"  An  expected  guest  of  my  uncle  will  have  leisure 
to  repose,  after  the  privations  and  hardships  of  so 
weary  a  voyage,"  she  said.  "  This  is  a  house  whose 
door  is  never  closed  against  the  rites  of  hospitality." 

"  If  there  is  aught  about  my  person  or  attire,  to 
alarm  you,"  returned  the  stranger,  earnestly,  "speak, 
that  it  may  be  cast  away — These  arms — these  foolish 
arms,  had  better  not  have  been  here,"  he  added, 
casting  the  pistols  and  dagger  indignantly,  through  a 
window,  into  the  shrubbery ;  "  Ah  !  if  you  knew  how 
unwillingly  I  would  harm  any — and,  least  of  all,  a 
woman — you  would  not  fear  me  !" 

"  I  fear  you  not,"  returned  la  Belle,  firmly.  ;i  I 
dread  the  misconceptions  of  the  world." 

"  What  world  is  here  to  disturb  us  ?  Thou  livest 
in  thy  pavilion,  beautiful  Alida,  remote  from  towns 
and  envy,  like  some  favored  damsel,  over  whose 
happy  and  charmed  life  presides  a  benignant  genius. 
See,  here  are  all  the  pretty  materials,  with  which 
thy  sex  seeks  innocent  and  happy  amusement.  Thou 
touchest  this  lute,  when  melancholy  renders  thought 
pleasing ;  here  are  colors  to  mock,  or  to  eclipse,  the 
beauties  of  the  fields  and  the  mountain,  the  flower, 
and  the  tree;  and  from  these  pages  are  culled 
thoughts,  pure  and  rich  in  imagery,  as  thy  spirit  is 
spotless,  and  thy  person  lovely  !  " 

Alida  listened  in  amazement ;  for,  while  he  spoke, 
the  young  mariner  touched  the  different  articles  he 
named,  with  a  melancholy  interest,  which  seemed  to 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  Ill 

say  how  deeply  he  regretted  that  fortune  had  placed 
him  in  a  profession,  in  which  their  use  was  nearly 
denied. 

"  It  is  not  common  for  those  who  live  on  the  sea, 
to  feel  this  interest  in  the  trifles  which  constitute  a 
woman's  pleasure,"  she  said,  lingering,  spite  of  he. 
better  resolution  to  depart. 

"  The  spirit  of  our  rude  and  boisterous  trade  is 
then  known  to  you  ? " 

"  It  were  not  possible  for  the  relation  of  a  mer 
chant,  so  extensively  known  as  my  uncle,  to  be  ig 
norant  altogether  of  mariners." 

"Ay,  here  is  proof  of  it,"  returned  the  stranger, 
speaking  so  quick  as  again  to  betray  how  sensitively 
his  mind  was  constructed.  "The  History  of  the 
American  Buccaneers  is  a  rare  book  to  be  found  in 
a  lady's  library !  What  pleasure  can  a  mind  like 
that  of  la  belle  Barberie  find  in  these  recitals  of 
bloody  violence?" 

"  What  pleasure,  truly ! "  returned  Alida,  half 
tempted,  by  the  wild  and  excited  eye  of  her  com 
panion,  not  withstanding  all  the  contradictory  evidence 
which  surrounded  him,  to  believe  she  was  addressing 
one  of  the  very  rovers  in  question.  "  The  book  was 
lent  me  by  a  brave  seaman,  who  holds  himself  in 
readiness  to  repress  their  depredations;  and  while 
reading  of  so  much  wickedness,  I  endeavor  to  recall 
the  devotion  of  those  who  risk  their  lives,  in  order 
k>  protect  the  weak  and  innocent — My  uncle  will  be 
angered,  should  I  longer  delay  to  apprize  him  of 
your  presence." 

"A  single  moment !  It  is  long — very  long,  since  I 
have  entered  a  sanctuary  like  this !  Here  is  music 
and  there  the  frame  for  the  gaudy  tambour — these 
windows  look  on  a  landscape,  soft  as  thine  own  na 
ture;  and  yonder  ocean  can  be  admired  without 
dreading  its  terrific  power,  or  feeling  disgust  at  its 
coarser  scenes.  Thou  shouldst  be  happy,  here ! " 


112  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

The  stranger  turned,  and  perceived  that  he  was 
alone.  Disappointment  was  strongly  painted  on  his 
handsome  face ;  but,  ere  there  was  time  for  second 
thought,  another  voice  was  heard  grumbling  at  the 
door  of  the  saloon. 

"Compacts  and  treaties!  What,  in  the  name  of 
good  faith,  hath  brought  thee  hither  ?  Is  this  the  way 
to  keep  a  cloak  on  our  movements  1  or  dost  suppose 
that  the  Queen  will  knight  me,  for  being  known  as 
thy  correspondent  1 " 

"  Lanterns  and  false-beacons !"  returned  the  other, 
mimicking  the  voice  of  the  disconcerted  burgher,  and 
pointing  to  the  lights  that  still  stood  where  last  de 
scribed.  "  Can  the  port  be  entered  without  respect 
ing  the  land-marks  and  signals?" 

"  This  comes  of  moonlight  and  sentiment !  When 
the  girl  should  have  been  asleep,  she  is  up,  gazing  at 
the  stars,  and  disconcerting  a  burgher's  speculations 
— But  fear  thee  not,  Master  Seadrift ;  my  niece  has 
discretion,  and  if  we  have  no  better  pledge  for  her 
silence,'  there  is  that  of  necessity ;  since  there  is  no 
one  here  for  a  confidant,  but  her  old  Norman  valet, 
and  the  Patroon  of  Kinderhook,  both  of  whom  are 
dreaming  of  other  matter  than  a  little  gainful  traffic.'* 

"Fear  thee  not,  Alderman;"  returned  the  other, 
still  maintaining  his  air  of  mockery.  "  We  have  the 
pledge  of  character,  if  no  other;  since  the  uncle 
cannot  part  with  reputation,  without  the  niece  shar 
ing  in  the  loss." 

"  What  sin  is  there  in  pushing  commerce  a  step 
beyond  the  limits  of  the  law  ?  These  English  are  a 
nation  ot  monopolists ;  and  they  make  no  scruple  of 
tying  us  of  the  colonies,  hand  and  /oot,  heart  and 
soul,  with  their  acts  of  Parliament,  saying  *  with  us 
shalt  thou  trade,  or  not  at  all.'  By  the  character  of 
the  best  burgomaster  of  Amsterdam,  and  they  came 
by  the  province,  too,  in  no  such  honesty,  that  we 
should  lie  down  and  obey  ! " 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  113 

"  Wherein  there  is  much  comfort  to  a  dealer  in 
the  contraband.  Justly  reasoned,  my  worthy  Alder 
man.  Thy  logic  will,  at  any  time,  make  a  smooth 
pillow,  especially  if  the  adventure  be  not  without  itb 
profit.  And  now,  having  so  commendably  disposed 
of  the  moral  of  our  bargain,  let  us  approach  its  le 
gitimate,  if  not  its  lawful,  conclusion.  There,"  he 
added,  drawing  a  small  bag  from  an  inner  pocket  of 
his  frock,  and  tossing  it  carelessly  on  a  table  ;  "  there 
is  thy  gold.  Eighty  broad  Johannes  is  no  bad  return 
for  a  few  packages  of  furs ;  and  even  avarice  itself 
will  own,  that  six  months  is  no  long  investment  for 
the  usury." 

"  That  boat  of  thine,  most  lively  Seadrift,  is  a 
marine  humming-bird!"  returned  Myndert,  with  a 
joyful  tremor  of  the  voice,  that  betrayed  his  deep 
and  entire  satisfaction.  "  Didst  say  just  eighty  1  But 
spare  thyself  the  trouble  of  looking  for  the  memo 
randum;  I  will  tell  the  gold  myself,  to  save  thee 
the  trouble.  Truly,  the  adventure  hath  not  been 
bad !  A  few  kegs  of  Jamaica,  with  a  little  powder 
and  lead,  and  a  blanket  or  two,  with  now  and  then 
a  penny  bauble  for  a  chief,  are  knowingly,  ay!  and 
speedily  transmuted  into  the  yellow  metal,  by  Ihy 
good  aid. — This  affair  was  managed  on  the  French 
coast?" 

"More  northward,  where  the  frost  helped  the  bar 
gain.  Thy  beavers  and  martens,  honest  burgher, 
will  be  flaunting  in  the  presence  of  the  Emperor,  at 
the  next  holidays.  What  is  there  in  the  face  of  the 
Braganza,  that  thou  studiest  it  so  hard?" 

"The  piece  seems  none  of  the  heaviest — but,  luck« 
ily,  I  have  scales  at  hand, " 

"  Hold!"  said  the  stranger,  laying  his  hand,  which 
according  to  a  fashion  of  that  day,  was  clad  in  a 
delicate  and  scented  glove,  lightly  on  the  arm  of  the 
other :  "  No  scales  between  us,  Sir !  That  was  taken 
in  return  for  thy  adventure ;  heavy  or  light,  it  must 
K  2 


114  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

go  down.  We  deal  in  confidence,  and  this  hesitation 
offends  me.  Another  such  doubt  of  my  integrity; 
and  our  connexion  is  at  an  end." 

"  A  calamity  I  should  deplore,  quite  or  nearly  ai 
much  as  thyself,"  returned  Myndert,  affecting  to 
laugh;  though  he  slipped  the  suspected  doubloon 
into  the  bag  again,  in  a  manner  that  at  once  re 
moved  the  object  of  contention  from  view.  "A  little 
particularity  in  the  balance  part  of  commerce  serves 
to  maintain  friendships.  But  a  trifle  shall  not  cause 
us  to  waste  the  precious  time. — Hast  brought  goods 
suited  to  the  colonies'?" 

"  In  plenty." 

"And  ingeniously  assorted?  Colonies  and  monopo 
ly  ! — But  there  is  a  two-fold  satisfaction  in  this  clan 
destine  traffic  !  I  never  get  the  notice  of  thy  arrival, 
Master  Seadrift,  but  the  heart  within  me  leapeth  of 
gladness !  There  is  a  double  pleasure  in  circumvent 
ing  the  legislation  of  your  London  wiseacres  ! " 

"  The  chiefest  of  which  is ?" 

"  A  goodly  return  for  the  investment,  truly — I  de 
sire  not  to  deny  the  agency  of  natural  causes ;  but, 
trust  me,  there  is  a  sort  of  professional  glory  in  thus 
defeating  the  selfishness  of  our  rulers.  What !  are 
we  born  of  woman,  to  be  used  as  the  instruments  of 
their  prosperity !  Give  us  equal  legislation,  a  right  to 
decide  on  the  policy  of  enactments,  and  then,  Tike  a 
loyal  and  obedient  subject, " 

"Thou  wouldst  still  deal  in  the  contraband  !" 

"  Well,  well,  multiplying  idle  words  is  not  multi 
plying  gold.  The  list  of  the  articles  introduced  cao 
be  forthcoming?" 

"  It  is  here,  and  ready  to  be  examined.  But  there 
is  a  fancy  come  over  me,  Alderman  Van  Beverout, 
which,  like  others  of  my  caprices,  thou  knowest  must 
have  its  way.  There  should  be  a  witness  to  our 
Dargain." 

"  Judges  and  juries !  Thou  forgettest,  man,  that  a 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  ,15 

clumsy  galliot  could  sail  through  the  tightest  clause 
of  these  extra-legal  compacts.  The  courts  receive 
the  evidence  of  this  sort  of  traffic,  as  the  grave  re 
ceives  the  dead ;  to  swallow  all,  and  be  forgotten." 

"  I  care  not  for  the  courts,  and  little  desire  do  I 
feel  to  enter  them.  But  the  presence  of  la  belle 
Barberie  may  serve  to  prevent  any  misconceptions, 
that  might  bring  our  connexion  to  a  premature  close. 
Let  her  be  summoned." 

"  The  girl  is  altogether  ignorant  of  traffic,  and  it 
might  unsettle  her  opinions  of  her  uncle's  stability. 
If  a  man  does  not  maintain  credit  within  his  own 
doors,  how  can  he  expect  it  in  the  streets?" 

"  Many  have  credit  on  the  highway,  who  receive 
none  at  home.  But  thou  knowest  my  humor;  no 
niece — no  traffic." 

"  Alida  is  a  dutiful  and  affectionate  child,  and  I 
would  not  willingly  disturb  her  slumbers.  Here  is 
the  Patroon  of  Kinderhook,  a  man  who  loves  Eng 
lish  legislation  as  little  as  myself; — he  will  be  less 
reluctant  to  see  an  honest  shilling  turned  into  gold. 
I  will  awake  him:  no  man  was  ever  yet  offended  at 
an  offer  to  share  in  a  profitable  adventure." 

"  Let  him  sleep  on.  I  deal  not  with  your  lords  of 
manors  and  mortgages.  Bring  forth  the  lady,  for 
there  will  be  matter  fit  for  her  delicacy." 

"  Duty  and  the  ten  commandments !  You  never 
had  the  charge  of  a  child,  Master  Seadrift,  and  can 
not  know  the  weight  of  responsibility " 

'No  niece — no  traffic!"  interrupted  the  wilful 
dealer  in  contraband,  returning  his  invoice  to  his 
pocket,  and  preparing  to  rise  from  the  table,  where 
he  had  already  seated  himself. — "  The  lady  knows 
of  my  presence ;  and  it  were  safer  for  us  both,  that 
she  entered  more  deeply  into  our  confidence." 

"  Thou  art  as  despotic  as  the  English  navigation- 
law !  I  hear  the  foot  of  the  child  still  pacing  her 
chamber,  and  she  shall  come.  But  there  need  be  no 


116  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

explanations,  to  recall  old  intercourse, — The  affair 
can  pass  as  a  bit  of  accidental  speculation — a  by 
play,  in  the  traffic  of  life." 

"  As  thou  pleasest.  I  shall  deal  less  in  words  than 
in  business.  Keep  thine  own  secrets,  burgher,  and 
they  are  safe.  Still,  I  would  have  the  lady,  for  there 
is  a  presentiment  that  our  connexion  is  in  danger." 

"I  like  not  that  word  presentiment,"  grumbled 
the  Alderman,  taking  a  light,  and  snuffing  it  with 
deliberate  care ;  "  drop  but  a  single  letter,  and  one 
dreams  of  the  pains  and  penalties  of  the  Exchequer. 
•—Remember  thou  art  a  trafficker,  who  conceals  his 
appearance  on  account  of  the  cleverness  of  his  spec 
ulations." 

"That  is  my  calling,  to  the  letter.  Were  all 
others  as  clever,  the  trade  would  certainly  cease.— 
Go,  bring  the  lady." 

The  Alderman,  who  probably  saw  the  necessity  of 
making  some  explanation  to  his  niece,  and  who,  it 
would  seem,  fully  understood  the  positive  character 
of  his  companion,  no  longer  hesitated  ;  but,  first  cast 
ing  a  suspicious  glance  out  of  the  still  open  windosv 
he  left  the  room. 


THE   WATER-WITCH.  117 


CHAPTER  X. 

" — Alack,  what  heinous  sin  is  it  in  me 
To  he  ashamed,  to  be  my  father's  child! 
But  tnough  1  am  a  daughter  to  his  blood 
I  am  not  to  his  manners.—" 

MERCHANT  or  VENICE. 

S  moment  the  stranger  was  again  alone,  the 
entire  expression  of  his  countenance  underwent  a 
change.  The  reckless  and  bold  expression  deserted 
his  eye,  which  once  more  became  soft,  if  not  pensive, 
as  it  wandered  over  the  different  elegant  objects  that 
served  to  amuse  the  leisure  of  la  belle  Barbcrie. 
He  arose,  and  touched  the  strings  of  a  lute,  and  then, 
like  Fear,  started  back,  as  if  recoiling  at  the  sound 
he  had  made.  All  recollection  of  the  object  of  his 
visit  was  evidently  forgotten,  in  a  new  and  livelier 
interest ;  and  had  there  been  one  to  watch  his  move 
ments,  the  last  motive  imputed  to  his  presence  would 
probably  have  been  the  one  that  was  true.  There 
was  so  little  of  that  vulgar  and  common  character, 
which  is  usually  seen  in  men  of  his  pursuit,  in  the  gen 
tle  aspect  and  subdued  air  of  his  fine  features,  that 
it  might  be  fancied  he  was  thus  singularly  endowed 
by  nature,  in  order  that  deception  might  triumph. 
If  there  were  moments  when  a  disregard  of  opinion 
was  seen  in  his  demeanor,  it  rather  appeared  as 
sumed  than  easy ;  and  even  when  most  disposed  to 
display  lawless  indifference  to  the  ordinary  regula 
tions  of  society,  in  his  interview  with  the  Alderman, 
't  had  been  blended  with  a  reserve  of  manner  tha 
was  strangely  in  contrast  with  his  humor. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  were  idle  to  say  that  Alida 
de  Barberie  had  no  unpleasant  suspicions  concerning 
the  character  of  her  uncle's  guest.  That  baneful 
influence,  which  necessarily  exerts  itself  near  ar< 


118  THE   WATER- WITCH. 

irresponsible  power,  coupled  with  the  natural  indif 
ference  with  which  the  principal  regards  the  de 
pendant,  had  caused  the  English  Ministry  to  fill  too 
many  of  their  posts  of  honor  and  profit,  in  the  colo 
nies,  with  needy  and  dissolute  men  of  rank,  or  of 
high  political  connexions  at  home.  The  Province  of 
New- York  had,  in  this  respect,  been  particularly  un 
fortunate.  The  gift  of  it  by  Charles  to  his  brother  and 
successor,  had  left  it  without  the  protection  of  those 
charters  and  other  privileges  that  had  been  granted 
to  most  of  the  governments  of  America.  The  con 
nexion  with  the  crown  was  direct,  and,  for  a  long 
period,  the  majority  of  the  inhabitants  were  consid 
ered  as  of  a  different  race,  and  of  course  as  of  one 
less  to  be  considered,  than  that  of  their  conquerors. 
Such  was  the  laxity  of  the  times  on  the  subject  of 
injustice  to  the  people  of  this  hemisphere,  that  the 
predatory  expeditions  of  Drake  and  others  against 
the  wealthy  occupants  of  the  more  southern  coun 
tries,  seem  to  have  left  no  spots  on  their  escutcheons ; 
and  the  honors  and  favors  of  Queen  Elizabeth  had 
been  liberally  extended  to  men  who  would  now  be 
deemed  freebooters.  In  short,  that  system  of  vio 
lence  and  specious  morality,  which  commenced  with 
the  gifts  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  and  the  bulls  of 
the  Popes,  was  continued,  with  more  or  less  of  modi 
fication,  until  the  descendants  of  those  single-minded 
and  virtuous  men  who  peopled  the  Union,  took  the 
powers  of  government  into  their  own  hands,  and 
proclaimed  political  ethics  that  were  previously  as 
little  practised  as  understood. 

Alida  knew  that  both  the  Earl  of  Bellamont  and 
the  unprincipled  nobleman  who  has  been  introduced 
in  the  earlier  pages  of  this  tale,  had  not  escaped  the 
imputation  of  conniving  at  acts  on  the  sea,  far  more 
flagrant  than  any  of  an  unlawful  trade ;  and  it  will 
therefore  create  little  surprise,  that  she  saw  reason 
to  distrust  the  legality  of  some  of  her  uncle's  specu- 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  119 

iations,  with  less  pain  than  might  be  felt  by  one  o{ 
her  sex  and  opinions  at  the  present  hour.  Hei  suspi 
cions,  however,  fell  far  short  of  the  truth  ;  for  it  were 
scarce  possible  to  have  presented  a  mariner,  who 
bore  about  him  fewer  of  those  signs  of  his  rude  caJl 
ng,  than  he  whom  she  had  so  unexpectedly  met. 

Perhaps,  too,  the  powerful  charm,  that  existed  in 
the  voice  and  countenance  of  one  so  singularly  gifted 
by  nature,  had  its  influence  in  persuading  Alida  to 
reappear.  At  all  events,  she  was  soon  seen  to  enter 
the  room,  with  an  air,  that  manifested  more  of  curi 
osity  and  wonder,  than  of  displeasure. 

"  My  niece  has  heard  that  thou  comest  from  the 
old  countries,  Master  Seadrift,"  said  the  wary  Alder 
man,  who  preceded  Alida,  "  and  the  woman  is  upper 
most  in  her  heart.  Thou  wilt  never  be  forgiven, 
should  the  eye  of  any  maiden  in  Manhattan  get  sight 
of  thy  finery  before  she  has  passed  judgment  on  its 
merit." 

"  I  cannot  wish  a  more  impartial  or  a  fairer  judge;" 
returned  the  other,  doffing  his  cap  in  the  gallant  and 
careless  manner  of  his  trade.  "  Here  are  silks  from 
the  looms  of  Tuscany,  and  Lyonnois  brocades,  that 
any  Lombard,  or  dame  of  France,  might  envy.  Rib 
bons  of  every  hue  and  dye,  and  laces  that  seem  to 
copy  the  fret-work  of  the  richest  cathedral  of  your 
Fleming!" 

"  Thou  hast  journeyed  much,  in  thy  time,  Master 
Seadrift,  and  speakest  of  countries  and  usages  with 
understanding,"  said  the  Alderman.  "  But  how  stand 
the  prices  of  these  precious  goods  ?  Thou  knowest 
the  long  war,  and  the  moral  certainty  of  its  continu- 
A,nce  ;  this  German  succession  to  the  throne,  and  the 
ate  earthquakes  in  the  country,  too,  have  much  un 
settled  prices,  and  cause  us  thoughtful  burghers  to 
be  wary  in  our  traffic. — Didst  inquire  the  cost  of 
geldings,  when  last  in  Holland?" 

"  The  animals  go  a-begging ! — As  to  the  value  ol 


120  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

my  goods,  that  you  know  is  fixed ;  for  I  admit  of  no 
parley  between  friends." 

"  Thy  obstinacy  is  unreasonable,  Master  Seadrift. 
A  wise  merchant  will  always  look  to  the  state  of  the 
market,  and  one  so  practised  should  know  that  a 
nimble  sixpence  multiplies  faster  than  a  slow-moving 
shilling.  'Tis  the  constant  rolling  of  the  ball  that 
causes  the  snow  to  cleave  !  Goods  that  come  light 
should  not  go  heavy,  and  quick  settlements  follow 
sudden  bargains.  Thou  knowest  our  York  saying, 
that  «  first  offers  are  the  best.' " 

"  He  that  likes  may  purchase,  and  he  that  prefers 
his  gold  to  fine  laces,  rich  silks,  and  stiff  brocades, 
has  only  to  sleep  with  his  money-bags  under  his  pil 
low.  There  are  others  who  wait,  with  impatience, 
to  see  the  articles ;  and  I  have  not  crossed  the  At 
lantic,  with  a  freight  that  scarcely  ballasts  the  brig- 
antine,  to  throw  away  the  valuables  on  the  lowest 
bidder." 

"  Nay,  uncle,"  said  Alida,  in  a  little  trepidation 
"  we  cannot  judge  of  the  quality  of  Master  Sea- 
drift's  articles,  by  report.  I  dare  to  say,  he  has  not 
landed  without  a  sample  of  his  wares?" 

"Custom  and  friendships!"  muttered  Myndert ; 
"  of  what  use  is  an  established  correspondence,  if  it 
is  to  be  broken  on  account  of  a  little  cheapening  ? 
But  produce  thy  stores,  Mr.  Dogmatism  ;  I  warrant 
me  the  fashions  are  of  some  rejected  use,  or  that 
the  color  of  the  goods  be  imp-aired  by  the  usual  negli 
gence  of  thy  careless  mariners.  We  will,  at  least, 
pay  thee  the  compliment  to  look  at  the  effects." 

"  'Tis  as  you  please,"  returned  the  other.  "  The 
bales  are  in  the  usual  place,  at  the  wharf,  under  the 
nspection  of  honest  Master  Tiller — but  if  so  inferior 
n  qualitv,  they  will  scarce  repay  the  trouble  of  the 
walk."  " 

"  I'll  go,  I'll  go,"  said  the  Alderman,  adjusting  his 
wig  and  removing  his  spectacles ;  "  'twould  not  be 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  121 

treating  an  old  correspondent  well,  to  refuse  to  look 
at  his  samples, — thou  wilt  follow,  Master  Seadrift 
and  so  I  will  pay  thee  the  compliment  to  examine 
the  effects — though  the  long  war,  the  glut  of  furs 
the  over-abundance  of  the  last  year's  harvests,  and 
the  perfect  quiet  in  the  mining  districts,  have  thrown 
all  commerce  flat  on  its  back.  PJ1  go,  however; 
lest  thou  shouldst  say,  thy  interests  were  neglected. 
Thy  Master  Tiller  is  an  indiscreet  agent;  he  gave 
me  a  fright  to-day  that  exceeds  any  alarm  I  have 
felt  since  the  failure  of  Van  Halt,  Balance,  and 
Diddle," 

The  voice  of  Myndert  became  inaudible,  for,  in 
his  haste  not  to  neglect  the  interests  of  his  guest, 
the  tenacious  trader  had  already  quitted  the  room, 
and  half  of  his  parting  speech  was  uttered  in  the 
antechamber  of  the  pavilion. 

"  'T would  scarce  comport  with  the  propriety  ol 
my  sex,  to  mingle  with  the  seamen,  and  the  others 
who  doubtless    surround  the  bales,"  said  Alida,  in 
whose  face  there  was  a  marked  expression  of  hesita 
tion  and  curiosity. 

"  It  will  not  be  necessary,"  returned  her  com 
panion.  "  I  have,  at  hand,  specimens  of  all  that  you 
would  see. — But,  why  this  haste  ?  We  are  yet  in 
the  early  hours  of  the  night,  and  the  Alderman  will 
be  occupied  long,  ere  he  comes  to  the  determination 
to  pay  the  prices  my  people  are  sure  to  ask.  I  am 
lately  from  off  the  sea,  beautiful  Alida,  and  tho 
canst  not  know  the  pleasure  I  find  in  breathing  even 
the  atmosphere  of  a  woman's  presence." 

La  belle  Barberie  retired  a  step  or  two,  she  knew 
not  why ;  and  her  hand  was  placed  upon  the  cord  of 
the  bell,  before  she  was  aware  of  the  manner  in 
which  she  betrayed  her  alarm. 

"  To  me  it  does  not  seem  that  I  am  a  creature  so 
terrific,  that  tltou  need'st  dread  my  presence,1'  con 
tinued  tho  gay  mariner,  with  a  smile  that  exjressed 


122  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

as  much  of  secret  irony,  as  of  that  pensive  charac 
ter  which  had  again  taken  possession  of  his  counte 
nance  ;  "  but  ring,  and  bring  your  attendants  to  re 
lieve  fears  that  are  natural  to  thy  sex,  and  therefore 
seducing  to  mine.  Shall  I  pull  the  cord  ? — for  this 
pretty  hand  trembles  too  much,  to  do  its  office." 

"  1  know  not  that  any  would  answer,  for  it  is  past 
the  hour  of  attendance ; — it  is  better  that  I  go  to  the 
examination  of  the  bales." 

The  strange  and  singularly-attired  being,  who  oc 
casioned  so  much  uneasiness  to  Alida,  regarded  her  a 
moment  with  a  kind  and  melancholy  solicitude. 

"  Thus  they  are  all,  till  altered  by  too  much  in 
tercourse  with  a  cold  and  corrupt  world !"  he  rather 
whispered,  than  uttered  aloud.  "  Wou?d  that  thus 
they  might  all  continue !  Thou  art  a  singular  com 
pound  of  thy  sex's  weakness,  and  of  manly  resolution, 
belle  Barberie ;  but  trust  me,"  and  he  laid  his  hand 
on  his  heart  with  an  earnestness  that  spoke  well  for 
his  sincerity ;  "  ere  word,  or  act,  to  harm  or  to  offend 
thee,  should  proceed  from  any  who  obey  will  of 
mine,  nature  itself  must  undergo  a  change.  Start 
not,  for  I  call  one  to  show  the  specimens  you  would 
see." 

He  then  applied  a  little  silver  whistle  to  his  lips, 
and  drew  a  low  signal  from  the  instrument,  motioning 
to  Alida  to  await  the  result,  without  alarm.  In  half 
a  minute,  there  was  a  rustling  among  the  leaves  of 
the  shrubbery,  a  moment  of  attentive  pause,  and 
then  a  dark  object  entered  the  window,  and  rolled 
neavily  to  the  centre  of  the  floor. 

"  Here  are  our  commodities,  and  trust  me  the 
price  shall  not  be  dwelt  on,  between  us,"  resumed 
Master  Seadrift,  undoing  the  fastenings  of  the  little 
bale,  that  had  entered  the  saloon,  seemingly  without 
the  aid  of  hands.  "  These  goods  are  so  many  gage* 
of  neutrality,  between  us  ;  so  approach,  and  ex- 


THE   WATER- WITCH.  123 

amine,  without  fear.    You  will   find   some   among 
them  to  reward  the  hazard." 

The  bale  was  now  open,  and  as  its  master  appeared 
to  be  singularly  expert  in  suiting  a  female  fancy,  it 
became  impossible  for  Alida  to  resist  any  longer.  She 
gradually  lost  her  reserve,  as  the  examination  pro 
ceeded  ;  and  before  the  owner  of  the  treasures  had 
got  into  the  third  of  his  packages,  the  hands  of  the 
heiress  were  as  actively  employed  as  his  own,  in 
gaining  access  to  their  view. 

"  This  is  a  stuff  of  the  Lombard  territories,"  said 
the  vender  of  the  goods,  pleased  with  the  confidence 
he  had  succeeded  in  establishing  between  his  beauti 
ful  customer  and  himself.  "  Thou  seest,  it  is  rich, 
flowery,  and  variegated  as  the  land  it  came  from. 
One  might  fancy  the  vines  and  vegetation  of  that 
deep  soil  were  shooting  from  this  labor  of  the  loom 
— nay,  the  piece  is  sufficient  for  any  toilette,  however 
ample ;  see,  it  is  endless  as  the  plains  that  reared  the 
little  animal  who  supplies  the  texture.  I  have  parted 
of  that  fabric  to  many  dames  of  England,  who  have 
not  disdained  to  traffic  with  one  that  risks  much  in 
their  behalf." 

"  I  fear  there  are  many  who  find  a  pleasure  in 
these  stuns,  chiefly  because  their  use  is  forbidden." 

"  'Twould  not  be  out  of  nature  !  Look ;  this  box 
contains  ornaments  of  the  elephant's  tooth,  cut  by  a 
cunning  artificer  in  the  far  Eastern  lands ;  they  do 
not  disfigure  a  lady's  dressing-table,  and  have  a 
moral,  for  they  remind  her  of  countries  where  the 
sex  is  less  happy  than  at  home.  Ah  !  here  is  a 
treasure  of  Mechlin,  wrought  in  a  fashion  of  my  own 
design." 

"  'Tis  beautifully  fancied,  and  might  do  credit  t 
one  who  professed  the  painter's  art." 

"  My  youth  was  much  employed  in  these  conceits," 
returned  the  trader,  unfolding  the  rich  and  delicate 
lace,  in  a  manner  to  show  that  he  had  still  pleasure 


124  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

in  contemplating  its  texture  and  quality.  "  There 
was  a  compact  between  me  and  the  maker,  that 
enough  should  be  furnished  to  reach  from  the  high 
church-tower  of  his  town,  to  the  pavement  beneath; 
an  i  yet,  you  see  how  little  remains  !  The  London 
dames  found  it  to  their  taste,  and  it  was  not  easy  to 
bring  even  this  trifle  into  the  colonies." 

"  You  chose  a  remarkable  measure  for  an  article 
that  was  to  visit  so  many  different  countries,  without 
the  formalities  of  law  !" 

"  We  thought  to  start  in  the  favor  of  the  church, 
which  rarely  frowns  on  those  who  respect  its  privi 
leges.  Under  the  sanction  of  such  authority,  I  will 
lay  aside  all  that  remains,  certain  it  will  be  needed 
for  thy  use." 

"  So  rare  a  manufacture  should  be  costly?" 

La  belle  Barberie  spoke  hesitatingly,  and  as  she 
raised  her  eyes,  they  met  the  dark  organs  of  her 
companion,  fixed  on  her  face,  in  a  manner  that 
seemed  to  express  a  consciousness  of  the  ascendency 
he  was  gaining.  Startled,  at  she  knew  not  what 
the  maiden  again  added  hastily — 

"  This  may  be  fitter  for  a  court  lady,  than  a  girl 
of  the  colonies." 

"  None  who  have  yet  worn  of  it,  so  well  become 
it ; — I  lay  it  here,  as  a  make-weight  in  my  bargain 
with  the  Alderman. — This  is  satin  of  Tuscany ;  a 
country  where  nature  exhibits  its  extremes,  and  one 
whose  merchants  were  princes.  Your  Florentine 
was  subtle  in  his  fabrics,  and  happy  in  his  conceits 
of  forms  and  colors,  for  which  he  stood  indebted  to 
the  riches  of  his  own  climate.  Observe — the  hue  of 
this  glossy  surface  is  scarcely  so  delicate  as  I  ha  v 
seen  the  rosy  light,  at  even,  playing  on  the  sides  01 
his  Apennines!" 

"  You  have  then  visited  the  regions,  in  whose 
fabrics  you  deal?"  said  Alida,  suffering  the  articles 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  125 

to  fall  from  her  hand,  in  the  stronge*.    dr/arest  she 
began  ^to  feel  in  their  owner. 

"  'Tis  my  habit.    Here  have  we  a  chain  from  the 
city  of  the  Isles.  The  hand  of  a  Venetian  could  alone 
form  these  delicate  and  nearly  insensible  links.    I  re 
fused  a  string  of  spotless  pearls  for  that  same  golde 
web." 

"  It  was  indiscreet,  in  one  who  trades  at  so  much 
nazard." 

"  I  kept  the  bauble  for  my  pleasure ! — Whim  is 
sometimes  stronger  than  the  thirst  of  gain ;  and  this 
chain  does  not  quit  me,  till  I  bestow  it  on  the  lady 
of  my  love." 

"  One  so  actively  employed  can  scarcely  spare 
time  to  seek  a  fitting  object  for  the  gift." 

"  Is  merit  and  loveliness  in  the  sex,  so  rare  ?  La 
belle  Barberie  speaks  in  the  security  of  many  con 
quests,  or  she  would  not  deal  thus  lightly,  in  a  matter 
that  is  so  serious  with  most  females." 

"  Among  other  countries  your  vessel  hath  visited 
a  land  of  witchcraft,  or  you  would  not  pretend  to  a 
knowledge  of  things,  that,  in  their  very  nature,  must 
be  hidden  from  a  stranger. — Of  what  value  may  be 
those  beautiful  feathers  of  the  ostrich  ? " 

"  They  came  of  swarthy  Africa,  though  so  spotless 
themselves.  The  bunch  was  had,  by  secret  traffic, 
from  a  Moorish  man,  in  exchange  for  a  few  skins  of 
Lachrymae  Christi,  that  he  swallowed  with  his  eyes 
shut.  I  dealt  with  the  fellow,  only  in  pity  for  his 
thirst,  and  do  not  pride  myself  on  the  value  of  the 
commodity.  It  shall  go,  too,  to  quicken  love  between 
me  and  thy  uncle." 

Alida  could  not  object  to  this  liberality,  though  she 
was  not  without  a  secret  opinion  that  the  gifts  were 
no  more  than  delicate  and  well-concealed  offerings 
to  herself.  The  effect  of  this  suspicion  was  two-fold; 
it  caused  the  maiden  to  become  more  reserved  in  thf 
expression  of  her  tastes,  though  it  in  no  degree  lea- 
L2 


126  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

sened  her  confidence  in,  and  admiration  of,  the  way 
ward  and  remarkable  trader. 

"  My  uncle  will  have  cause  to  commend  thy  gen 
erous  spirit,"  said  the  heiress,  bending  her  head  a 
little  coldly,  at  this  repeated  declaration  of  her  com 
panion's  intentions,  "  though  it  would  seem  that,  in 
trade,  justice  is  as  much  to  be  desired  as  generosity ; 
— this  seemeth  a  curious  design,  wrought  with  the 
needle!" 

**  It  is  the  labor  of  many  a  day,  fashioned  by  the 
hand  of  a  recluse.  I  bought  it  of  a  nun,  in  France, 
who  passed  years  in  toil,  upon  the  conceit,  which  is 
of  more  value  than  the  material.  The  meek  daugh 
ter  of  solitude  wept  when  she  parted  with  the  fabric, 
for,  in  her  eyes,  it  had  the  tie  of  association  and 
habit.  A  companion  might  be  lost  to  one  who  lives 
in  the  confusion  of  the  world,  and  it  should  not 
cause  more  real  sorrow,  than  parting  from  the  pro 
duct  of  her  needle,  gave  that  mild  resident  of  the 
cloisters  ! " 

"  And  is  it  permitted  for  your  sex  to  visit  those 
places  of  religious  retirement  ? "  asked  Alida.  "  I 
come  of  a  race  that  pays  little  deference  to  monastic 
life,  for  we  are  refugees  from  the  severity  of  Louis ; 
but  yet  I  never  heard  my  father  charge  these  fe 
males  with  being  so  regardless  of  their  vows." 

"  The  fact  was  so  repeated  to  me ;  for,  surely,  my 
sex  are  not  admitted  to  traffic,  directly,  with  the 
modest  sisters ;"  (a  smile,  that  Alida  was  half-disposed 
to  think  bold,  played  about  the  handsome  mouth  of 
the  speaker)  "  but  it  was  so  reported.  What  is  your 
opinion  of  the  merit  of  woman,  in  thus  seeking  ref 
uge  from  the  cares,  and  haply  from  the  sins,  of  the 
world,  in  institutions  of  this  order." 

"  Truly  the  question  exceedeth  my  knowledge, 
This  is  not  a  country  to  immure  females,  and  the 
custom  causes  us  of  America  little  thought." 

"  The  usage  hath  its  abuses,"  continued  the  deale? 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  127 

in  contraband,  speaking  thoughtfully ;  "  but  it  is  not 
without  its  good.  There  are  many  of  the  weak  and 
vain,  that  would  be  happier  in  the  cloisters,  than  if 
left  to  the  seductions  and  follies  of  life. — Ah  !  here  is 
work  of  English  hands.  I  scarcely  know  how  the 
articles  found  their  way  into  the  company  of  the 
products  of  the  foreign  looms.  My  bales  contain,  in 
general,  little  that  is  vulgarly  sanctioned  by  the  law. 
Speak  me,  frankly,  belle  Alida,  and  say  if  you  share 
in  the  prejudices  against  the  character  of  us  free 
traders?" 

"  I  pretend  not  to  judge  of  regulations  that  exceed 
the  knowledge  and  practices  of  my  sex,"  returned 
the  maiden,  with  commendable  reserve.  "  There 
are  some  who  think  the  abuse  of  power  a  justifica 
tion  of  its  resistance,  while  others  deem  a  breach  of 
law  to  be  a  breach  of  morals." 

"  The  latter  is  the  doctrine  of  your  man  of  in 
vested  moneys  and  established  fortune !  He  has  en 
trenched  his  gains  behind  acknowledged  barriers, 
and  he  preaches  their  sanctity,  because  they  favor 
his  selfishness.  We  skimmers  of  the  sea " 

Alida  started  so  suddenly,  as  to  cause  her  com 
panion  to  cease  speaking. 

"  Are  my  words  frightful,  that  you  pale  at  their 
sound?" 

"  I  hope  they  were  used  rather  in  accident,  than 
with  their  dreaded  meaning.  I  would  not  have  it 
said — no !  'tis  but  a  chance  that  springs  from  some 
resemblance  in  your  callings.  One,  like  you,  can 
never  be  the  man  whose  name  has  grown  into  a 
proverb!" 

"  One  like  me,  beautiful  Alida,  is  much  as  fortune 
wills.  Of  what  man,  or  of  what  name,  wouldst 
speak  ?  " 

"  'Tis  nothing,"  returned  la  belle  Barberie,  gazing 
unconsciously  at  the  polished  and  graceful  feature§ 
of  the  stranger,  longer  than  was  wont  in  maiden. 


128  THE   WATER-WITOH. 

"  Proceed  with  your  explanation  ; — these  are  rich 
velvets!" 

"  They  come  of  Venice,  too  ;  but  commerce  is 
like  the  favor  which  attends  the  rich,  and  the  Queen 
of  the  Adriatic  is  already  far  on  the  decline.  That 
which  causes  the  increase  of  the  husbandman,  occa 
sions  the  downfall  of  a  city.  The  lagunes  are  filling 
with  fat  soil,  and  the  keel  of  the  trader  is  less  fre 
quent  there  than  of  old.  Ages  hence,  the  plow  may 
trace  furrows  where  the  Bucentaur  has  floated  ! 
The  outer  India  passage  has  changed  the  current  of 
prosperity,  which  ever  rushes  in  the  widest  and 
newest  track.  Nations  might  learn  a  moral,  by 
studying  the  sleepy  canals  and  instructive  magnifi 
cence  of  that  fallen  town ;  but  pride  fattens  on  its 
own  lazy  recollections,  to  the  last ! — As  I  was  saying, 
we  rovers  deal  little  in  musty  maxims,  that  are  made 
by  the  great  and  prosperous  at  home,  and  are  trum 
peted  abroad,  in  order  that  the  weak  and  unhappy 
should  be  the  more  closely  riveted  in  their  fetters." 

"  Methinks  you  push  the  principle  further  than  is 
necessary,  for  one  whose  greatest  offence  against 
established  usage  is  a  little  hazardous  commerce. 
These  are  opinions,  that  might  unsettle  the  world." 

"  Rather  settle  it,  by  referring  all  to  the  rule  of 
right.  When  governments  shall  lay  their  foundations 
in  natural  justice,  when  their  object  shall  be  to  re 
move  the  temptations  to  err,  instead  of  creating 
them,  and  when  bodies  of  men  shall  feel  and  ac 
knowledge  the  responsibilities  of  individuals — why, 
then  the  Water- Witch,  herself,  might  become  a 
revenue-cutter,  and  her  owner  an  officer  of  the 
customs ! " 

The  velvet  fell  from  the  hands  of  la  belle  Bar- 
beVie,  and  she  arose  from  her  seat  with  precipitation. 

"  Speak  plainly,"  said  Alida,  with  all  her  natural 
firmness.  "  With  whom  am  I  about  to  traffic  ?  " 

"  An  outcast  of  society — a  man  condemned  in  the 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  129 

opinions  of  the  world — the  outlaw — the  flagrant 
waisderer  of  the  ocean — the  lawless  '  Skimmer  of 
the  Seas !'  "  cried  a  voice,  at  the  open  window. 

In  another  minute,  Ludlow  was  in  the  room. 
A.Kda  uttered  a  shriek,  veiled  her  face  in  her  robe, 
and  rushed  from  the  apartment. 


CHAPTER  XL 

"—Truth  will  come  to  light; 
Murder  cannot  be  hid  long,  a  man's  son  may ; 
But  in  the  end,  truth  will  out.—" 

LAUNCELOX 

THE  officer  of  the  Queen  had  leaped  into  the  pa 
vilion,  with  the  flushed  features  and  all  the  hurry  of 
an  excited  man.  The  exclamations  and  retreat  of 
la  belle  Barberie,  for  a  single  moment,  diverted  his 
attention ;  and  then  he  turned,  suddenly,  not  to  say 
fiercely,  towards  her  companion.  It  is  not  necessary 
to  repeat  the  description  of  the  stranger's  person,  in 
order  to  render  the  change,  which  instantly  occurred 
m  the  countenance  of  Ludlow,  intelligible  to  the 
reader.  His  eye,  at  first,  refused  to  believe  there 
was  no  other  present ;  and  when  it  had,  again  and 
again,  searched  the  whole  apartment,  it  returned  to 
the  face  and  form  of  the  dealer  in  contraband,  with 
an  expression  of  incredulity  and  wonder. 

"  Here  is  some  mistake  ! "  exclaimed  the  command 
er  of  the  Coquette,  after  time  had  been  given  for  a 
thorough  examination  of  the  room. 

"  Your  gentle  manner  of  entrance,"  returned  the 
stranger,  across  whose  face  there  had  parsed  a  glow, 
that  might  have  come  equally  of  anger  or  of  sur 
prise,  "  has  driven  the  lady  from  the  room.  But  as 
Vou  wear  the  livery  of  the  Queen,  I  presume  you 


130  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

have  authority  for  invading  the  dwelling  of  the  sub 
ject?" 

"I  had  believed — nay,  there  was  reason  to  be 
certain,  that  one  whom  all  of  proper  loyalty  execrate, 
was  to  be  found  here;"  stammered  the  still-confused 
Ludlow.  "  There  can  scarce  be  a  deception,  for  1 
plainly  heard  the  discourse  of  my  captors, — and  ye 
here  is  none!" 

"  1  thank  you  for  the  high  consideration  you  bestow 
on  my  presence." 

The  manner,  rather  than  the  words,  of  the 
speaker,  induced  Ludlow  to  rivet  another  look  on 
his  countenance.  There  was  a  mixed  expression  of 
doubt,  admiration,  and  possibly  of  uneasiness,  if  not 
of  actual  jealousy,  in  the  eye,  which  slowly  read  all 
his  lineaments,  though  the  former  seemed  the  stronger 
sensation  of  the  three. 

"We  have  never  met  before!"  cried  Ludlow, 
when  the  organ  began  to  grow  dim,  with  the  length 
and  steadiness  of  its  gaze. 

"  The  ocean  has  many  paths,  and  men  may  jour 
ney  on  them,  long,  without  crossing  each  other." 

*'  Thou  hast  served  the  Queen,  though  I  see  thee 
in  this  doubtful  situation?" 

"  Never.  I  am  not  one  to  bind  myself  to  the  ser 
vitude  of  any  woman  that  lives,"  returned  the  free 
trader,  while  a  mild  smile  played  about  his  lip 
"  though  she  wore  a  thousand  diadems  !  Anne  nevei 
had  an  hour  of  my  time,  nor  a  single  wish  of  my 
heart." 

"  This  is  bold  language,  Sir,  for  the  ear  of  her 
officer.  The  arrival  of  an  unknown  brigantine,  cer 
tain  incidents  which  have  occurred  to  myself  thi 
night,  your  presence  here,  that  bale  of  articles  for 
bidden  by  the  law,  create  suspicions  that  must  be 
satisfied.  Who  are  you  ?  " 

"  The  flagrant  wanderer  of  the  ocean — the  outcas* 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  131 

of  society— the  condemned  in  the  opinions  of  the 
world— the  lawless  «  Skimmer  of  the  Seas !'  " 

"  This  cannot  be !  The  tongues  of  men  speak  of 
the  personal  deformity  of  that  wanderer,  no  less  than 
of  his  bold  disregard  of  the  law.  You  would  deceive 
me." 

"  If  then  men  err  so  imrch  in  that  which  is  visible 
and  unimportant,"  returned  the  other,  proudly,  "  is 
there  not  reason  to  doubt  th^ir  accuracy  in  matters 
of  more  weight.  I  am  surely  what  I  seem,  if  I  am 
not  what  I  say." 

"  I  will  not  credit  so  improbable  a  tale ; — give  me 
some  proof  that  what  I  hear  is  true." 

"Look  at  that  brigantine,  whose  delicate  spars 
are  almost  confounded  with  the  back-ground  of 
trees,"  said  the  other,  approaching  the  window,  and 
directing  the  attention  of  his  companion  to  the  Cove: 
"  'Tis  the  bark  that  has  so  often  foiled  the  efforts  of 
all  thy  cruisers,  and  which  transports  me  and  my 
wealth  whither  I  will,  without  the  fetters  of  arbi 
trary  laws,  and  the  meddling  inquiries  of  venal  hire 
lings.  The  scud,  which  floats  above  the  sea,  is  not 
freer  than  that  vessel,  and  scarcely  more  swift.  Wei] 
is  she  named  the  Water- Witch !  for  her  perform 
ances  on  the  wide  ocean  have  been  such  as  seem  to 
exceed  all  natural  means.  The  froth  of  the  sea  does 
not  dance  more  lightly  above  the  waves,  than  yonder 
graceful  fabric,  when  driven  by  the  breeze.  She  is 
a  thing  to  be  loved,  Ludlow ;  trust  me,  I  never  yet 
set  affections  on  woman,  with  the  warmth  I  feel  for 
the  faithful  and  beautiful  machine!" 

"  This  is  little  more  than  any  mariner  could  say, 
in  praise  of  a  vessel  that  he  admired." 

"  Will  you  say  it,  Sir,  in  favor  of  yon  lumbering 
sloop  of  Queen  Anne  ?  Your  Coquette  is  none  of  the 
fairest,  and  there  was  more  of  pretension  than  of 
truth,  at  her  christening." 


132 


THE    WATER-WITCH. 


"  By  the  title  of  my  royal  mistress,  young  beard 
less,  but  there  is  an  insolence  in  this  language,  that 
might  become  him  you  wish  to  represent !  My  ship, 
heavy  or  light  of  foot,  as  she  may  be,  is  fated  to  bring 
yonder  false  trader  to  the  judgment." 

"  By  the  craft  and  qualities  of  the  Water- Witch  1 
but  this  is  language  that  might  become  one  who  waa 
at  liberty  to  act  his  pleasure,"  returned  the  stranger, 
tauntingly  imitating  the  tone,  in  which  his  angry 
companion  had  spoken.  "  You  would  have  proof  of 
my  identity :  listen.  There  is  one  who  vaunts  his 
power,  that  forgets  he  is  a  dupe  of  my  agent,  and 
that  even  while  his  words  are  so  full  of  boldness,  he 
is  a  captive  ! " 

The  brown  cheek  of  Ludlow  reddened,  and  he 
turned  toward  the  lighter  and  far  less  vigorous  frame 
of  his  companion,  as  if  about  to  strike  him  to  the 
earth,  when  a  door  opened,  and  Alida  appeared  in 
the  saloon. 

The  meeting,  between  the  commander  of  the  Co 
quette  and  his  mistress,  was  not  without  embarrass 
ment.  The  anger  of  the  former  and  the  confusion 
of  the  latter,  for  a  moment,  kept  both  silent ;  but  a? 
la  belle  Barberie  had  not  returned  without  an  object, 
she  was  quick  to  speak. 

"  I  know  not  whether  to  approve,  or  to  condemn, 
the  boldness  that  has  prompted  Captain  Ludlow  to 
enter  my  pavilion,  at  this  unseasonable  hour,  and  in 
so  unceremonious  a  manner,"  she  said,  "  for  I  am 
still  ignorant  of  his  motive.  When  he  shall  please  tc 
let  me  hear  it,  I  may  judge  better  of  the  merit  of 
the  excuse." 

"  True,  we  will  hear  his  explanation  before  con 
demnation,"  added  the  stranger,  offering  a  seat  tc 
Alida,  which  she  coldly  declined.  "  Beyond  a  doubt 
the  gentleman  has  a  motive." 

If  looks  could  have  destroyed,  the  speaker  would 
have  been  annihilated.  But  as  the  lady  seemed  in 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  133 

different  to  the  last  remark,  Ludlow  prepared  to 
enter  on  his  vindication. 

"  I  shall  not  attempt  to  conceal  that  an  artifice 
has  been  practised,"  he  said,  "  which  is  accompanied 
by  consequences  that  I  find  awkward.  The  air  and 
manner  of  the  seaman,  whose  bold  conduct  you  wit 
nessed  in  the  boat,  induced  me  to  confide  in  him 
more  than  was  prudent,  and  I  have  been  rewarded 
by  deception." 

"  In  other  words,  Captain  Ludlow  is  not  as  saga 
cious  as  he  had  reason  to  believe,"  said  an  ironical 
voice,  at  his  elbow. 

"  In  what  manner  am  I  to  blame,  or  why  is  my 
privacy  to  be  interrupted,  because  a  wandering  sea 
man  has  deceived  the  commander  of  the  Coquette?" 
rejoined  Alida.  "  Not  only  that  audacious  mariner, 

but  this this  person,"  she  added,  adopting  a  word 

that  use  has  appropriated  to  the  multitude,  "  is  a 
stranger  to  me.  There  is  no  other  connexion  between 
us,  than  that  you  see." 

"  It  is  not  necessary  to  say  why  I  landed,"  con 
tinued  Ludlow;  "but  I  was  weak  enough  to  allow 
that  unknown  mariner  to  quit  my  ship,  in  my  com 
pany ;  and  when  I  would  return,  he  found  means  to 
disarm  my  men,  and  make  me  a  prisoner." 

"  And  yet,  art  thou,  for  a  captive,  tolerably  free ! " 
added  the  ironical  voice. 

"  Of  what  service  is  this  freedom,  without  the 
means  of  using  it  ?  The  sea  separates  me  from  my 
ship,  and  my  faithful  boat's-crew  are  in  fetters.  I 
have  been  little  watched,  myself;  but  though  forbid 
den  to  approach  certain  points,  enough  has  been  seen 
to  leave  no  doubts  of  the  character  of  those  whom 
Alderman  Van  Beverout  entertains." 

"Thou  wouldst  also  say,  and  his  niece,  Ludlow?" 

"  I  would  say  nothing  harsh  to,  or  disrespectful  of, 
Alida  de  Barbaric.  I  wjll  not  deny  that  a  harrowing 


134  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

idea  possessed  me, — but  I  see  my  error,  and  repent 
having  been  so  hasty." 

"  We  may  then  resume  our  commerce, '  said  the 
trader,  coolly  seating  himself  before  the  open  bale, 
while  Ludlow  and  the  maiden  stood  regarding  each 
other  in  mute  surprise.  "  It  is  pleasant  to  exhibi 
these  forbidden  treasures  to  an  officer  of  the  Queen 
It  may  prove  the  means  of  gaining  the  royal  pat 
ronage.  We  were  last  among  the  velvets,  and  on 
the  lagunes,  of  Venice.  Here  is  one  of  a  color  and 
quality  to  form  a  bridal  dress  for  the  Doge  himself, 
in  his  nuptials  with  the  sea !  We  men  of  the  ocean 
look  upon  that  ceremony  as  a  pledge  Hymen  will 
not  forget  us,  though  we  may  wander  from  his  altars. 
Do  I  justice  to  the  faith  of  the  craft,  Captain  Lud- 
ow  ? — or  are  you  a  sworn  devotee  of  Neptune,  and 
content  to  breathe  your  sighs  to  Venus,  when  afloat? 
Well,  if  the  damps  and  salt  air  of  the  ocean  rust  the 
golden  chain,  it  is  the  fault  of  cruel  nature  ! — Ah  ! 
here  is " 

A  shrill  whistle  sounded  among  the  shrubbery,  and 
the  speaker  became  mute.  Throwing  his  cloths 
carelessly  on  the  bale,  he  arose  again,  and  seemed  to 
nesitate.  Throughout  the  interview  with  Ludlow, 
the  air  of  the  free-trader  had  been  mild,  though,  at 
times,  it  was  playful ;  and  not  for  an  instant  had  he 
seemed  to  return  the  resentment  which  the  other 
had  so  plainly  manifested.  It  now  became  per 
plexed,  and,  by  the  workings  of  his  features,  it  would 
seem  that  he  vacillated  in  his  opinions.  The  sounds 
of  the  whistle  were  heard,  again. 

"  Ay,  ay,  Master  Tom  ! "  muttered  the  dealer  in 
contraband.  "Thy  note  is  audible,  but  why  this 
haste  1  Beautiful  Alida,  this  shrill  summons  is  to  say, 
that  the  moment  of  parting  is  arrived ! " 

"  We  met  with  less  of  preparation,"  returned  la 
belle  Barberie,  who  preserved  all  the  distant  reserve 
of  her  sex,  under  the  jealous  eyes  of  her  admirer. 


THE   WATER- WITCH.  135 

"  We  met  without  a  warning,  but  shall  our  sepa 
ration  be  without  a  memorial  ?  Am  I  to  return  with 
all  these  valuables  to  the  brigantine,  or,  in  their 
place,  must  I  take  the  customary  golden  tribute  ? " 

"  I  know  not  that  I  dare  make  a  traffic  which 
s  not  sanctioned  by  the  law,  in  presence  of  a  ser 
vitor  of  the  Queen,"  returned  Alida,  smiling.     " 
will  not  deny  that  you  have  much  to  excite  a  wo 
man's  envy ;  but  our  royal  mistress  might  forget  her 
sex,  and  show  little  pity,  were  she  to  hear  of  my 
weakness." 

"No  fear  of  that,  lady. — Tis  they  who  are  most 
stern  in  creating  these  harsh  regulations,  that  shew 
most  frailty  in  their  breach.  By  the  virtues  of  hon 
est  Leadenhall  itself,  but  I  should  like  to  tempt  the 
royal  Anne,  in  her  closet,  with  such  a  display  of 
goodly  laces  and  heavy  brocades!" 

"  That  might  be  more  hazardous  than  wise  ! " 

"  I  know  not.  Though  seated  on  a  throne,  she  is 
but  woman.  Disguise  nature  as  thou  wilt,  she  is  a 
universal  tyrant,  and  governs  all  alike.  The  head 
that  wears  a  crown  dreams  of  the  conquests  of  the 
sex,  rather  than  of  the  conquests  of  states;  the 
hand  that  wields  the  sceptre  is  fitted  to  display  its 
prettiness,  with  the  pencil,  or  the  needle ;  and  though 
words  and  ideas  may  be  taught  and  sounded  forth 
with  the  pomp  of  royalty,  the  tone  is  still  that  of 
woman." 

"  Without  bringing  into  question  the  merits  of  our 
present  royal  mistress,"  said  Alida,  who  was  a  little 
apt  to  assert  her  sex's  rights,  "there  is  the  example 
of  the  glorious  Elizabeth,  to  refute  his  charge." 

"Ay,  we  have  had  our  Cleopatras  in  the  sea-fight 
and  fear  was  found  stronger  than  love  !  The  sea  ha 
monsters,  and  so  may  have  the  land.  He,  that  made 
the  earth  gave  it  laws  that  'tis  not  good  to  break. 
We  men  are  jealous  of  our  qualities,  and  little  like 
to  see  them  usurped ;  and  trust  me,  lady,  she  that 


136  tHE    WATER- WITCH. 

forgets  the  means  that  nature  hestows,  may  mourn 
in  sorrow  over  the  fatal  error. — But,  sha.l  we  deal  in 
velvet,  or  is  your  taste  more  leaning  to  brocade  1 " 

Alida  and  Ludlow  listened  in  admiration  to  the 
capricious  and  fanciful  language  of  the  unaccount 
able  trader,  and  both  were  equally  at  a  loss  to  esti 
mate  his  character.  The  equivocal  air  was  in  gene 
ral  well  maintained,  though  the  commander  of  the 
Coquette  had  detected  an  earnestness  and  feeling  in 
his  manner,  when  he  more  particularly  addressed  la 
belle  Barberie,  that  excited  an  uneasiness  he  was 
ashamed  to  admit,  even  to  himself.  That  the  maid 
en  herself  observed  this  change,  might  also  be  in 
ferred,  from  a  richer  glow  which  diffused  itself  over 
her  features,  though  it  is  scarce  probable  that  she 
was  conscious  of  its  effects.  When  questioned  as  to 
her  determination  concerning  his  goods,  she  again 
regarded  Ludlow,  doubtirigly,  ere  she  answered. 

"  That  you  have  not  studied  woman  in  vain,"  she 
laughingly  replied,  "  I  must  fain  acknowledge.  And 
yet,  ere  I  make  a  decision,  suffer  me  to  consult  those 
who,  being  more  accustomed  to  deal  with  the  laws, 
are  better  judges  of  the  propriety  of  the  purchases." 

"  If  this  request  were  not  reasonable  in  itself,  it 
were  due  to  your  beauty  and  station,  lady,  to  grant 
it.  I  leave  the  bale  in  your  care ;  and,  before  to 
morrow's  sun  has  set,  one  will  await  the  answer 
Captain  Ludlow,  are  we  to  part  in  friendship,  or 
does  your  duty  to  the  Queen  proscribe  the  word." 

"  If  what  you  seem,"  said  Ludlow,  "  you  are  a 
being  inexplicable !  If  this  be  some  masquerade,  as 
I  half  suspect,  'tis  well  maintained,  at  least,  though 
not  worthily  assumed." 

"  You  are  not  the  first  who  has  refused  credit  to 
his  senses,  in  a  manner  wherein  the  Water- Witch 
and  her  commander  have  been  concerned.- — Peace, 
honest  Tom — thy  whistle  will  not  hasten  Father 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  137 

Time !  Friend,  or  not,  Captain  Ludlow  need  not  be 
told  he  is  my  prisoner." 

"  That  I  have  fallen  into  the  power  of  a  mis 
creant " 

"  Hist ! — if  thou  hast  love  of  bodily  ease  ana 
whole  bones.  Master  Thomas  Tiller  is  a  man  of 
rude  humor,  and  he  as  little  likes  contumely  as  an 
other.  Besides,  the  honest  mariner  did  but  obey  my 
orders,  and  his  character  is  protected  by  a  superior 
responsibility." 

"  Thy  orders ! "  repeated  Ludlow,  with  an  expres 
sion  of  eye  and  lip  that  might  have  offended  one 
more  disposed  to  take  offence  than  him  he  addressed. 
"  The  fellow  who  so  well  succeeded  in  his  artifice,  is 
one  much  more  likely  to  command  than  to  obey.  If 
any  here  be  the  *  Skimmer  of  the  Seas,'  it  is  he." 

"  We  are  no  more  than  the  driving  spray,  which 
goes  whither  the  winds  list.  But  in  what  hath  the 
man  offended,  that  he  finds  so  little  favor  with  the 
Queen's  captain?  He  has  not  had  the  boldness  to 
propose  a  secret  traffic  with  so  loyal  a  gentleman ! " 

"  'Tis  well,  Sir ;  you  choose  a  happy  occasion  for 

this  pleasantry.     I  landed  to  manifest  the  respect 

that  I  feel  for  this  lady,  and  I  care  not  if  the  world 

knows  the  object  of  the  visit.   'Twas  no  silly  artifice 

hat  led  me  hither." 

"Spoken  with  the  frankness  of -a  seaman  !"  said 
the  inexplicable  dealer  in  contraband,  though  his 
color  lessened  and  his  voice  appeared  to  hesitate. 
"  I  admire  this  loyalty  in  man  to  woman ;  for,  as 
custom  has  so  strongly  fettered  them  in  the  expres 
sion  of  their  inclinations,  it  is  due  from  us  to  leave  as 
little  doubt  as  possible  of  our  intentions.  It  is  diffi 
cult  to  think  that  la  belle  Barberie  can  do  wiser  than 
to  reward  so  much  manly  admiration  ! " 

The  stranger  cast  a  glance,  which  Alida  fancied 
betrayed  solicitude,  as  he  spoke,  at  the  maiden,  and 
he  appeared  to  expect  she  would  reply. 
M2 


138  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

"When  the  time  shall  come  for  a  decision,"  re 
turned  the  half-pleased  and  yet  half-offended  subject 
of  his  allusion,  "  it  may  be  necessary  to  call  upon 
very  different  counsellors  for  advice.  I  hear  the 
step  of  my  uncta — Captain  Ludlow,  I  leave  it  to 
your  discretion  to  meet  him,  or  not." 

The  heavy  footstep  was  approaching  through  the 
outer  rooms  of  the  pavilion.  Ludlow  hesitated ;  cast 
a  reproachful  look  at  his  mistress ;  and  then  he  in 
stantly  quitted  the  apartment,  by  the  place  through 
which  he  had  entered.  A  noise  in  the  shrubbery 
sufficiently  proved  that  his  return  was  expected,  and 
that  he  was  closely  watched. 

"  Noah's  Ark,  and  our  grandmothers ! "  exclaimed 
Myndert,  appearing  at  the  door  with  a  face  red  with 
his  exertions.  "You  have  brought  us  the  cast-off 
finery  of  our  ancestors,  Master  Seadrift.  Here  are 
stuffs  of  an  age  that  is  past,  and  they  should  be  bar 
tered  for  gold  that  hath  been  spent." 

"What  now!  what  now!"  responded  the  free 
trader,  whose  tone  and  manner  seemed  to  change,  at 
will,  in  order  to  suit  the  humor  of  whomsoever  he  was 
brought  to  speak  with.  "  What  now,  pertinacious 
burgher,  that  thou  shouldst  cry  down  wares  that  are 
but  too  good  for  these  distant  regions !  Many  is  the 
English  duchess  who  pines  to  possess  but  the  tithe  of 
these  beautiful  stuffs  I  offer  thy  niece,  and,  faith — 
rare  is  the  English  duchess  that  would  become  them 
half  so  well!" 

"  The  girl  is  seemly,  and  thy  velvets  and  brocades 
are  passable,  but  the  heavy  articles  are  not  fit  to 
offer  to  a  Mohawk  Sachem.  There  must  be  a  re 
duction  of  prices,  or  the  invoice  cannpt  pass." 

"  The  greater  the  pity.  But  if  sail  we  must,  sail 
we  will !  The  brigantine  knows  the  channel  over  the 
Xantucket  sands;  and,  my  life  on  it!  the  Yankees 
will  find  others  than  the  Mohawks  for  chapmen." , 

"  Thou  art  as  quick  in  thy  motions,  Master  Sea- 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  139 

drift,  as  the  boat  itself.  Who  said  that  a  compro 
mise  might  not  be  made,  when  discussion  was  pru 
dently  and  fairly  exhausted?  Strike  off  the  odd 
florins,  leave  the  balance  in  round  thousands,  and  thy 
trade  is  done  for  the  season ! " 

"Not  a  stiver.  Here,  count  me  back  the  faces 
of  the  Braganza ;  throw  enough  of  thin  ducats  into 
tie  scales  to  make  up  the  sum,  and  let  thy  slaves  push 
,nland  with  the  articles,  before  the  morning  light 
comes  to  tell  the  story.  Here  has  been  one  among 
us,  who  may  do  mischief,  if  he  will ;  though  I  know 
not  how  far  he  is  master  of  the  main  secret." 

Alderman  Van   Beverout   stared   a   little   wildly 
about  him,  adjusted  his  wig,  like  one  fully  conscious 
of  the  value  of  appearances  in  this  world,  and  thei 
cautiously  drew  the  curtains  before  the  windows. 

"  I  know  of  none  more  than  common,  my  niece 
excepted ;"  he  said,  when  all  these  precautions  had 
been  observed.  "  'Tis  true  the  Patroon  of  Kinder- 
nook  is  in  the  house,  but  as  the  man  sleeps,  he  is  a 
witness  in  our  favor.  We  have  the  testimony  of  his 
presence,  while  his  tongue  is  silent." 

"Well,  be  it  so;"  rejoined  the  free-trader,  read 
ing,  in  the  imploring  eyes  of  Alida,  a  petition  that 
he  would  say  no  more.  "  I  knew  by  instinct  there 
was  one  unusual,  and  it  was  not  for  me  to  discover 
that  he  sleeps.  There  are  dealers  on  the  coast,  who, 
"or  the  sake  of  insurance,  would  charge  his  presence 
in  their  bills." 

"  Say  no  more,  worthy  Master  Seadrift,  and  take 
the  gold.     To  confess  the  truth,  the  goods  are  in  the 
periagua  and  fairly  out  of  the  river.     I  knew  w 
should  come  to  conclusions  in  the  matter,  and  tim 
is  precious,  as  there  is  a  cruiser  of  the  Queen  so 
nigh.     The  rogues  will  pass  the  pennant,  like  inno 
cent  market-people,  and  I'll  risk  a  Flemish  gelding 
against  a  Virginia  nag,  that  they  inquire  if  the  cap- 
tain  has  no  need  of  vegetables  for  his  soup !     Ah 


140  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

ha-ha-ha!  That  Ludlow  is  a  simpleton,  niece  01 
mine,  and  he  is  not  yet  fit  to  deal  with  men  of  ma 
ture  years.  You'll  think  better  of  his  qualities,  one 
day.  and  bid  him  be  gone  like  an  unwelcome  dun." 

"  I  hope  these  proceedings  may  be  legally  sane 
ioned,  uncle  1 " 

"  Sanctioned !  Luck  sanctions  all.  It  is  in  trade 
as  in  war:  success  gives  character  and  booty,  in 
both.  Your  rich  dealer  is  sure  to  be  your  honest 
dealer.  Plantations  and  Orders  in  Council !  What 
are  our  rulers  doing  at  home,  that  they  need  be  so 
vociferous  about  a  little  contraband?  The  rogues 
will  declaim,  by  the  hour,  concerning  bribery  and 
corruption,  while  more  than  half  of  them  get  their 
seats  as  clandestinely — ay,  and  as  illegally,  as  you 
get  these  rare  Mechlin  laces.  Should  the  Queen 
take  offence  at  our  dealings,  Master  Seadrift,  bring 
me  another  season,  or  two,  as  profitable  as  the  last, 
and  I'll  be  your  passenger  to  London,  go  on  'change, 
buy  a  seat  in  Parliament,  and  answer  to  the  royal 
displeasure  from  my  place,  as  they  call  it.  By  the 
responsibility  of  the  States  General!  but  I  should 
expect,  in  such  a  case,  to  return  Sir  Myndert,  and 
then  the  Manhattanese  might  hear  of  a  Lady  Van 
Beverout,  in  which  case,  pretty  Alida,  thy  assets 
would  be  sadly  diminished ! — so  go  to  thy  bed,  child, 
and  dream  of  fine  laces,  and  rich  velvets,  and  duty 
to  old  uncles,  and  discretion,  and  all  manner  of  agree 
able  things — kiss  me,  jade,  and  to  thy  pillow." 

Alida  obeyed,  and  was  preparing  to  quit  the  room, 
when  the  free-trader  presented  himself  before  her 
with  an  air  at  once  so  gallant  and  respectful,  that 
he  could  scarce  take  offence  at  the  freedom. 

"  I  should  fail  in  gratitude,"  he  said,  "  were  I  to 
part  from  so  generous  a  customer,  without  thanks 
for  her  liberality.  The  hope  of  meeting  again,  wiL 
hasten  my  return." 

"  I  koow  not  that  you  are  my  debtor  for  thesa 


THE   WATER- WITCH.  141 

thanks,"  returned  Alida,  though  she  saw  that  the 
Alderman  was  carefully  collecting  the  contents  of 
the  bale,  and  that  he  had  already  placed  three  or 
four  of  the  most  tempting  of  its  articles  on  her  dress 
ing-table.  "  We  cannot  be  said  to  have  bargained." 

"  I  have  parted  with  more  than  is  visible  to  vulga 
eyes,"  returned  the  stranger,  dropping  his  voice,  an 
speaking  with  an  earnestness  that  caused  his  auditor 
to  start.     "  Whether  there  will  be  a  return  for  the 
gift,  or  perhaps  I  had  better  call  it  loss, — time  and 
my  stars  must  show  ! " 

He  then  took  her  hand,  and  raised  it  to  his  lips, 
by  an  action  so  graceful  and  so  gentle,  as  not  to 
alarm  the  maiden,  until  the  freedom  was  done.  La 
belle  Barberie  reddened  to  her  forehead,  seemed 
disposed  to  condemn  the  liberty,  frowned,  smiled,  and 
curtsying  in  confusion,  withdrew. 

Several  minutes  passed  in  profound  silence,  after 
Alida  had  disappeared.  The  stranger  was  thoughtful, 
though  his  bright  eye  kindled,  as  if  merry  thoughts 
were  uppermost ;  and  he  paced  the  room,  entirely 
heedless  of  the  existence  of  the  Alderman.  The 
latter,  however,  soon  took  occasion  to  remind  his 
companion  of  his  presence. 

"  No  fear  of  the  girl's  prating,"  exclaimed  the 
Alderman,  when  his  task  was  ended.  "  She  is  an 
excellent  and  dutiful  niece ;  and  here,  you  see,  is  a 
balance  on  her  side  of  the  account,  that  would  shut 
the  mouth  of  the  wife  of  the  First  Lord  of  the  Trea 
sury.  I  disliked  the  manner  in  which  you  would 
have  the  child  introduced ;  for,  look  you,  I  do  not 
think  that  either  Monsieur  Barberie,  or  my  late 
sister,  would  altogether  approve  of  her  entering  into 
traffic,  so  very  young; — but  what  is  done,  is  done; 
and  the  Norman  himself  could  not  deny  that  I  have 
made  a  fair  set-off,  of  very  excellent  commodities> 
for  his  daughter's  benefit. — When  dost  mean  to  sail 
Master  Seadrift?" 


142  THE    WATER-WIl^H. 

"  With  the  morning  tide.  I  little  like  the  neigh. 
Dorhood  of  these  meddling  guarda-costas." 

"  Bravely  answered !  Prudence  is  a  cardinal  qual* 
ity  in  a  private  trader ;  and  it  is  a  quality  that  1 
esteem  in  Master  Skimmer,  next  to  his  punctuality 
Dates  and  obligations !  I  wish  half  of  the  firms,  ot 
three  and  four  names,  without  counting  the  Co.'s, 
were  as  much  to  be  depended  on.  Dost  not  think 
it  safer  to  repass  the  inlet,  under  favor  of  the  dark 
ness?" 

"  'Tis  impossible.  The  flood  is  entering  it  like 
water  rushing  through  a  race-way,  and  we  have  the 
wind  at  east.  But,  fear  not ;  the  brigantine  carries 
no  vulgar  freight,  and  your  commerce  has  given  us 
a  swept  hold.  The  Queen  and  the  Braganza,  with 
Holland  ducats,  might  show  their  faces  even  in  the 
Royal  Exchequer  itself!  We  have  no  want  of  passes, 
and  the  Miller's-Maid  is  just  as  good  a  name  to  hail 
by,  as  the  '  Water-witch.'  We  begin  to  tire  of  this 
constant  running,  and  have  half  a  mind  to  taste  the 
pleasures  of  your  Jersey  sports,  for  a  week.  There 
should  be  shooting  on  the  upper  plains?" 

"  Heaven  forbid !  Heaven  forbid !  Master  Seadrift. 
— I  had  all  the  deer  taken  for  the  skins,  ten  years 
ago ; — and  as  to  birds,  they  deserted  us,  to  a  pigeon, 
when  the  last  tribe  of  the  savages  went  west  of  the 
Delaware.  Thou  hast  discharged  thy  brigantine 
to  better  effect,  than  thou  couldst  ever  discharge  thy 
fowling-pieces.  I  hope  the  hospitality  of  the  Lust 
in  Rust  is  no  problem— but,  blushes  and  curiosity !  I 
could  wish  to  keep  a  fair  countenance,  among  my 
neighbors.  Art  sure  the  impertinent  masts  of  the 
brigantine  will  not  be  seen  above  the  trees,  when 
the  day  comes  ?  This  Captain  Ludlow  is  no  laggard 
when  he  thinks  his  duty  actually  concerned.'5 

"  We  shall  endeavor  to  keep  h'm  quiet.  The 
cover  of  the  trees,  and  the  berth  of  the  boat,  make 
all  snug,  as  respects  his  people.  I  leave  worthy 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  143 

Tiller  to  settle  balances  between  us ;  and  so,  I  take 
my  leave.  Master  Alderman — a  word  at  parting 
Does  the  Viscount  Corn  bury  still  tarry  in  the  Prov- 
inces?" 

"  Like  a  fixture :  There  is  not  a  mercantile  house 
in  the  colony  more  firmly  established." 

"  There  are  unsettled  affairs  between  us.  —  A 
«mall  premium  would  buy  the  obligations " 

"  Heaven  keep  thee,  Master  Seadrift,  and  pleasant 
voyages,  back  and  forth  !  As  for  the  Viscount's  re 
sponsibility — the  Queen  may  trust  him  with  another 
Province/but  Myndert  Van  Beverout  wouW  not  give 
him  credit  for  the  tail  of  a  marten ;  and  so,  again, 
Heaven  preserve  thee!" 

The  dealer  in  contraband  appeared  to  tear  him 
self  from  the  sight  of  all  the  little  eleg;^cies  that 
adorned  the  apartment  of  la  belle  Barbaric,  with 
reluctance.  His  adieus  to  the  Alderman  w»re  rather 
cavalier,  for  he  still  maintained  a  cold  and  abstracted 
air ;  but  as  the  other  scarcely  observed  the  forms  of 
decorum,  in  his  evident  desire  to  get  rid  of  bis  p-uest, 
the  latter  was  finally  obliged  to  depart.  He  disap 
peared  by  the  low  balrony,  where  he  had  entered. 

When  Myndert  Van  Beverout  was  alone,  he  shut 
the  windows  of  the  pavilion  of  his  niece,  and  retired 
to  his  own  part  of  the  dwelling.  Here  the  thrifty 
burgher  first  busied  himself  in  making  sundry  calcu 
lations,  with  a  zeal  that  proved  how  much  his  mind 
was  engrossed  by  the  occupation.  After  this  pre 
liminary  step,  he  gave  a  short  but  secret  conference 
to  the  mariner  of  the  India-shawl,  during  which  there 
was  much  clinking  of  gold  pieces.  But  when  the 
atter  retired,  the  master  of  the  villa  first  looked  to 
the  trifling  securities  which  were  then,  as  now,  ob 
served  in  the  fastenings  of  an  American  country- 
house  ;  when  he  walked  forth  upon  the  lawn,  like 
one  who  felt  the  necessity  of  breathing  the  open  air. 
He  cast  more  than  one  inquiring  glance  at  the  win- 


144  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

dows  of  the  room  which  was  occupied  by  Oloff  Van 
Staats,  where  all  was  happily  silent ;  at  the  equally 
immovable  brigantine  in  the  Cove ;  and  at  the  more 
distant  and  still  motionless  hull  of  the  cruiser  of  the 
crown.  All  around  him  was  in  the  quiet  of  midnight 
Even  the  boats,  which  he  knew  to  be  plying  betweei 
the  land  and  the  little  vessel  at  anchor,  were  invisi 
ble ;  and  he  re-entered  his  habitation,  with  the  se 
curity  one  would  be  apt  to  feel,  under  similar  cir 
cumstances,  in  a  region  so  little  tenanted,  and  se 
little  watched,  as  that  in  which  he  lived. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

"  Come  on,  Nerissa ;  I  have  work  in  hand, 

That  you,  yet,  know  not  of. " 

MERCH.VNT  OF  VENICI. 

NOTWITHSTANDING  the  active  movements  which 
had  taken  place  in  and  around  the  buildings  of  the 
Lust  in  Rust,  during  the  night  which  ended  with 
our  last  chapter,  none  but  the  initiated  were  in  the 
smallest  degree  aware  of  their  existence.  Oloff  Van 
Staats  was  early  afoot ;  and  when  he  appeared  on 
the  lawn,  to  scent  the  morning  air,  there  was  nothing 
visible,  to  give  rise  to  a  suspicion  that  aught  extra 
ordinary  had  occurred  during  his  slumbers.  La  Cour 
des  Fees  was  still  closed,  but  the  person  of  the  faith 
ful  Francois  was  seen,  near  the  abode  of  his  young 
mistress,  busied  in  some  of  those  pretty  little  offices, 
that  can  easily  be  imagined  would  be  agreeable  to  a 
maiden  of  her  years  and  station.  Van  Staats  of  Kin- 
derhook  had  as  little  of  romance  in  his  composition, 
as  could  well  be  in  a  youth  of  five-and-twenty,  who 
was  commonly  thought  to  be  enamoured,  and  who 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  145 

was  not  altogether  ignorant  of  the  conventional  sym 
pathies  of  the  passion.  The  man  was  mortal,  and  as 
the  personal  attractions  of  la  belle  Barberie  were 
sufficiently  obvious,  he  had  not  entirely  escaped  the 
late,  which  seems  nearly  inseparable  from  young 
fancy,  when  excited  by  beauty.  He  drew  nigh  to 
the  pavilion,  and,  by  a  guarded  but  decisive  ma 
noeuvre,  he  managed  to  come  so  close  to  the  valet,  as 
to  render  a  verbal  communication  not  only  natural, 
but  nearly  unavoidable. 

"  A  fair  morning  and  a  healthful  air,  Monsieur 
Francois ;"  commenced  the  young  Patroon,  acknow 
ledging  the  low  salute  of  the  domestic,  by  gravely 
lifting  his  own  beaver.  "  This  is  a  comfortable  abode 
for  the  warm  months,  and  one  it  might  be  well  to 
visit  oftener." 

"When  Monsieur  le  Patteron  shall  be  de  lor'  ol 
ce  manoir,  aussi,  he  shall  come  when  he  shall  have 
la  volonte,"  returned  Francois,  who  knew  that  a 
pleasantry  of  his  ought  not  to  be  construed  into  an 
engagement  on  the  part  of  her  he  served,  while  it 
could  not  fail  to  be  agreeable  to  him  who  heard  it. 
"  Monsieur  de  Van  Staats,  est  grand  proprietaire  sur 
la  riviere,  and  one  day,  peut-etre,  he  shall  be  pro 
prietaire  sur  la  mer !" 

"  I  have  thought  of  imitating  the  example  of  the 
Alderman,  honest  Francis,  and  of  building  a  villa  on 
the  coast^  but  there  will  be  time  for  that,  when  T 
shall   find   myself  more   established   in   life!    You 
young  mistress  is  not  yet  moving,  Francis?" 

•'  Ma  foi,  non — Mam'selle  Alide  sleep  ! — 'tis  good 

ymptome,  Monsieur  Patteron,  pour  les  jeunes  per- 

eonnes,  to  tres   bien  sleep-    Monsieur,  et  toute  la 

amille  de  Barberie  sleep  a  merveille !   Oui,  c'est 

toujours  une  famille  remarquable.  pour  T°  sommeil !" 

46  Yet  one  would  wish  to  breathe  this  fresh  and 
invigorating  air,  which  comes  from  off  the  sea,  like 
a  balm,  in  the  early  hours  of  the  day." 
N 


146  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

"  Sans  doute,  Monsieur.  C'est  un  miracle,  hovr 
Mam'selle  love  de  air!  Personne  do  not  love  air 
more,  as  Mam'selle  Alide.  Bah! — It  was  grand 
plaisir  to  see  how  Monsieur  de  Barberie  love  de  air  !" 

"  Perhaps,  Mr.  Francis,  your  young  lady  is  igno 
rant  of  the  hour.  It  might  be  well  to  knock  at  the 
door,  or  perhaps  at  the  window.  I  confess,  I  shouM 
much  admire  to  see  her  bright  face,  smiling  from  thai 
window,  on  this  soft  morning  scene." 

It  is  not  probable  that  the  imagination  of  the 
Patroon  of  Kinderhook  ever  before  took  so  high  a 
flight ;  and  there  was  reason  to  suspect,  by  the  wa 
vering  and  alarmed  glance  that  he  cast  around  him 
after  so  unequivocal  an  expression  of  weakness,  that 
he  already  repented  his  temerity.  Francois,  who 
would  not  willingly  disoblige  a  man  that  was  known 
to  possess  a  hundred  thousand  acres  of  land,  with 
manorial  rights,  besides  personals  of  no  mean  amount, 
felt  embarrassed  by  the  request;  but  was  enabled 
to  recollect  in  time,  that  the  heiress  was  known  to 
possess  a  decision  of  character  that  might  choose  to 
control  her  own  pleasures. 

"  Well,  I  shall  be  too  happy  to  knock ;  mais,  Mon 
sieur  sais,  dat  sleep  est  si  agreable,  pour  les  jeunes 
personnes !  On  n'a  jamais  knock,  dans  la  famille  de 
Monsieur  de  Barberie,  and  je  suis  sur,  que  Mam'selle 
Alide,  do  not  love  to  hear  de  knock — pourtant,  si 
Monsieur  le  Patteron  le  veut,  I  shall  consult  ses — 
Voila!  Monsieur  Bevre,  qui  vient  sans  knock  a  la 
fenetre.  J'ai  1'honneur  de  vous  laisser  avec  Monsieur 
Al'erman." 

And  so  the  complaisant  but  still  considerate  valet 
bowed  nimself  out  of  a  dilemma,  that  he  found,  as  he 
muttered  to  himself,  while  retiring,  'tant  soit  peu 
ennuyant.' 

The  air  and  manner  of  the  Alderman,  as  he  ap 
proached  his  guest,  were,  like  the  character  of  the 
man,  hale,  hearty  and  a  little  occupied  with  his  own 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  147 

enjoyments  and  feelings.  He  hemmed  thrice,  ere  he 
was  near  enough  to  speak ;  and  each  of  the  strong 
expirations  seemed  to  invite  the  admiration  of  the 
Patroon,  for  the  strength  of  his  lungs,  and  for  the 
purity  of  the  atmosphere  around  a  villa  which  ac 
knowledged  him  for  its  owner. 

"  Zephyrs  and  Spas!  but  this  is  the  abode  of  health 
Patroon ! "  cried  the  burgher,  as  soon  as  these  de 
monstrations  of  his  own  bodily  condition  had  been 
sufficiently  repeated.  "  One  sometimes  feels  in  this 
air  equal  to  holding  a  discourse,  across  the  Atlantic, 
with  his  friends  at  Scheveling,  or  the  Helder.  A 
broad  and  deep  chest,  air  like  this  from  the  sea,  with 
a  clear  conscience,  and  a  lucky  hit  in  the  way  of 
trade,  cause  the  lungs  of  a  man  to  play  as  easily 
and  as  imperceptibly  as  the  wings  of  a  humming 
bird. — Let  me  see;  there  are  few  four-score  men  in 
thy  stock.  The  last  Patroon  closed  the  books  at 
sixty-six;  and  his  father  went  but  a  little  beyond 
seventy.  I  wonder,  there  has  never  been  an  inter 
marriage,  among  you,  with  the  Van  CourtJandts ; 
that  blood  is  as  good  as  an  insurance  to  four-score 
and  ten,  of  itself." 

"  I  find  the  air  of  your  villa,  Mr.  Van  Beverout, 
a  cordial  that  one  could  wish  to  take  often,"  returned 
the  other,  who  had  far  less  of  the  brusque  manner 
of  the  trader,  than  his  companion.  "  It  is  a  pity 
that  all  who  have  the  choice,  do  not  profit  by  their 
opportunities  to  breathe  it." 

"  You  allude  to  the  lazy  mariners  in  .yon  vessel ! 
Her  Majesty's  servants  are  seldom  in  a  hurry ;  and 
as  fo  this  brigantine  in  the  Cove,  the  fellow  seems  to 
have  gotten  in  by  magic !  I  warrant  me,  now,  the 
rogue  is  there  for  no  good,  and  that  the  Queen's  Ex 
chequer  will  be  none  the  richer  for  his  visit.  Harkee, 
you  Brom,"  calling  to  an  aged  black,  who  was  work 
ing  at  no  great  distance  from  the  dwelling,  and  who 
Was  deep  in  his  master's  confidence,  "  hast  seen  any 


148  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

boats  plying  between  yonder  roguish-looking  brigan- 
tine  and  the  land?" 

The  negro  shook  his  head,  like  the  earthen  image 
of  a  mandarin,  and  laughed  loud  and  heartily. 

"  I  b'rieve  he  do  all  he  mischief  among  a  Yankee, 
an'  he  only  come  here  to  take  he  breat',"  said  the 
tvily  slave.  "  Well,  I  wish,  wid  all  a  heart,  dere 
would  come  free-trader,  some  time,  along  our  shore. 
Dat  gib  a  chance  to  poor  black  man,  to  make  an 
honest  penny !" 

"  You  see,  Patroon,  human  nature  itself  rises 
against  monopoly !  That  was  the  voice  of  instinct, 
speaking  with  the  tongue  of  Brom  ;  and  it  is  no  easy 
task,  for  a  merchant,  to  keep  his  dependants  obedient 
to  laws,  which,  in  themselves,  create  so  constant  a 
temptation  to  break  them.  Well,  well  ;  we  will 
always  hope  for  the  best,  and  endeavor  to  act  like 
dutiful  subjects.  The  boat  is  not  amiss,  as  to  form 
and  rig,  let  her  come  from  where  she  will. — Dost 
think  the  wind  will  be  off  the  land  this  morning?" 

"  There  are  signs  of  a  change  in  the  clouds.  One 
could  wish  that  all  should  be  out  in  the  air,  to  taste 
this  pleasant  sea-breeze  while  it  lasts." 

"  Come,  come,"  cried  the  Alderman,  who  had  for 
a  moment  studied  the  state  of  the  heavens  with  a 
solicitude,  that  he  feared  might  attract  his  compan 
ion's  attention.  "  We  will  taste  our  breakfgst.  This 
is  the  spot  to  show  the  use  of  teeth !  The  negroe? 
have  not  been  idle  during  the  night,  Mr.  Van  Staats 
— he-e-em— -I  say,  Sir,  they  have  not  been  idle  : — 
and  we  shall  have  a  choice  among  the  dainties  of  the 
river  and  bay. — That  cloud  above  the  mouth  of  the 
Raritan  appears  to  rise,  and  we  may  yet  have  a 
breeze  at  west ! " 

"  Yonder  comes  a  boat  in  the  direction  of  the 
city,"  observed  the  other,  reluctantly  obeying  a 
motion  of  the  Alderman  to  retire  to  the  apartment 
where  they  were  accustomed  to  break  their  fasti 


THE   WATER-WITCH.  149 

*  To  me,  it  seems  to  approach  with  more  than  ordi 
nary  speed." 

"  There  are  st?  >ut  arms  at  its  oars !  Can  it  be  a 
messenger  for  the  cruiser  ?  no — it  rather  steers  more 
for  our  own  landing.  These  Jersey-men  are  often 
overtaken  by  the  night,  between  York  and  their  own 
doors.  And  now,  Patroon,  we  will  to  our  knives  and 
forks,  like  men  who  have  taken  the  best  stomachics." 
"And  are  we  to  refresh  ourselves  alone?"  demanded 
the  young  man.  who  ever  and  anon  cast  a  sidelong 
and  wistful  glance  at  the  closed  and  immovable  shut 
ters  of  la  Cour  des  Fees. 

"  Thy  mother  hath  spoilt  thee,  young  Oloff;  unless 
the  coffee  comes  from  a  pretty  female  hand,  it  loses 
its  savor.  I  take  thy  meaning,  and  think  none  the 
worse  of  thee ;  for  the  weakness  is  natural  at  thy 
Years.  Celibacy  and  independence !  A  man  must 
get  beyond  forty,  before  he  is  ever  sure  of  being  his 
own  master.  Come  hither,  Master  Francis.  It  is 
time  my  niece  had  shaken  off  this  laziness,  and 
shown  her  bright  face  to  the  sun.  We  wait  for  her 
fair  services  at  the  table. — I  see  nothing  of  that  lazy 
hussy,  Dinah,  any  more  than  of  her  mistress." 

"  Assurement  non,  Monsieur,"  returned  the  valet. 
"  Mam'selle  Dinah  do  not  love  trop  d'activite.  Mais, 
Monsieur  Al'erman,  elles  sont  jeunes,  toutes  les  deux! 
Le  sommeil  est  bien  salutaire,  pour  la  jeunesse." 

"  The  girl  is  no  longer  in  her  cradle,  Francis,  and 
it  is  time  to  rattle  at  the  windows.  As  for  the  black 
minx,  who  should  have  been  up  and  at  her  duty  this 
hour,  there  will  be  a  balance  to  settle  between  us. 
Come,  Patroon  : — the  appetite  will  not  await  the 
laziness  of  a  wilful  girl ;  we  will  to  the  table. — Dos 
think  the  wind  will  stand  at  west  this  morning  ?" 

Thus  saying,  the  Alderman  led  the  way  into  the 

little  parlor,  where  a  neat  and  comfortable  service 

invited  them  to  break  their  morning  fast.     He  was 

followed  by  Oloff  Van  Staats,  with  a  lingering  step, 

N2 


150  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

for  the  young  man  really  longed  to  see  the  window 
of  the  pavilion  open,  and  the  fair  face  of  Alida  smil 
ing  amid  the  other  beautiful  objects  of  the  scene. 
Francois  proceeded  to  take  such  measures  to  arouse 
his  mistress,  as  he  believed  to  comport  with  his  d'lty 
to  her  uncle,  and  his  own  ideas  of  bienseance.  After 
some  little  delay,  the  Alderman  and  his  guest  took 
their  seats  at  the  table ;  the  former  loudly  protest 
ing  against  the  necessity  of  waiting  for  the  idle,  and 
throwing  in  an  occasional  moral  concerning  the  par 
ticular  merit  of  punctuality  in  domestic  economy,  as 
well  as  in  the  affairs  of  commerce. 

"  The  ancients  divided  time,"  said  the  somewhat 
pertinacious  commentator,  "  into  years,  months, 
weeks,  days,  hours,  minutes,  and  moments,  as  they 
divided  numbers  into  units,  tens,  hundreds,  thousands, 
and  tens  of  thousands ;  and  both  with  an  object.  If 
we  commence  at  the  bottom,  and  employ  well  the 
moments,  Mr.  Van  Staats,  we  turn  the  minutes  into 
tens,  the  hours  into  hundreds,  and  the  weeks  and 
months  into  thousands — ay !  and  when  there  is  a 
happy  state  of  trade,  into  tens  of  thousands !  Miss 
ing  an  hour,  therefore,  is  somewhat  like  dropping  an 
important  figure  in  a  complex  calculation,  and  the 
whole  labor  may  be  useless,  for  want  of  punctuality 
in  one,  as  for  want  of  accuracy  in  the  other.  Your 
father,  the  late  Patroon,  was  what  may  be  called  a 
minute-man. — He  was  as  certain  to  be  seen  in  his 
pew,  at  church,  at  the  stroke  of  the  clock,  as  to  pay 
a  bill,  when  its  items  had  been  properly  examined. 
Ah  !  it  was  a  blessing  to  hold  one  of  his  notes,  though 
they  were  far  scarcer  than  broad  pieces,  or  bullion. 
I  have  heard  it  said,  Patroon,  that  the  manor  i 
oacked  by  plenty  of  Johannes  and  Dutch  ducats!" 

"  The  descendant  has  no  reason  to  reproach  his 
ancestors  with  want  of  foresight." 

"  Prudently  answered ; — not  a  word  too  much,  noi 
too  little  *-a  principle  on  which  all  honest  men  settle 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  151 

dieir  accounts.  By  proper  management,  such  a  foun 
dation  might  be  made  to  uphold  an  estate  that  should 
count  thousands  with  the  best  of  Holland  or  Eng- 
and.  Growth  and  majority  !  Patroon ;  but  we  of  the 
colonies  must  come  to  man's  estate  in  time,  like  our 
cousins  on  the  dykes  of  the  Low  Countries,  or  our 
rulers  among  the  smithies  of  England. — Erasmus, 
look  at  that  cloud  over  the  Raritan,  and  tell  me  if  it 
rises." 

The  negro  reported  that  the  vapor  was  stationary; 
and,  at  the  same  time,  by  way  of  episode,  he  told  his 
master  that  the  boat  which  had  been  seen  approach 
ing  the  land  had  reached  the  wharf,  and  that  some 
of  its  crew  were  ascending  the  hill  towards  the  Lust 
in  Rust. 

"  Let  them  come  of  all  hospitality,"  returned  the 
Alderman,  heartily;  "I  warrant  me,  they  are  honest 
farmers  from  the  interior,  a-hungered  with  the  toil 
of  the  night.  Go  tell  the  cook  to  feed  them  with  the 
best,  and  bid  them  welcome.  And  harkee,  boy  ; — 
if  there  be  among  them  any  comfortable  yeoman, 
bid  the  man  enter  and  sit  at  our  table.  This  is  not 
a  country,  Patroon,  to  be  nice  about  the  quality  of 
the  cloth  a  man  has  on  his  back,  or  whether  he  wears 
a  wig  or  only  his  own  hair. — What  is  the  fellow 
gaping  at?" 

Erasmus  rubbed  bis  eyes,  and  then  showing  his 
teeth  to  the  full  extent  of  a  double  row,  that  glitter 
ed  like  pearls,  he  gave  his  master  to  understand,  that 
the  negro,  introduced  to  the  reader  under  the  name 
of  Euclid,  and  who  was  certainly  his  own  brother 
of  the  half-blood,  or  by  the  mother's  side,  was  en 
tering  the  villa.  The  intelligence  caused  a  sudden 
cessation  of  the  masticating  process  in  the  Alderman, 
who  had  not,  however,  time  to  express  his  wonder 
ere  two  doors  simultaneously  opened,  and  Francois 
presented  himself  at  the  one,  while  the  shining  and 
doubting  face  of  the  slave  from  town  darkened  the 


152  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

other.  The  eyes  of  Myndert  rolled  first  to  this  side, 
and  then  to  that,  a  certain  misgiving  of  the  heart 
preventing  him  from  speaking  to  either ;  for  he  saw, 
in  the  disturbed  features  of  each,  omens  that  bade 
him  prepare  himself  for  unwelcome  tidings.  The 
reader  will  perceive,  by  the  description  we  shall  give 
that  there  was  abundant  reason  for  the  sagaciou 
burgher's  alarm. 

The  visage  of  the  valet,  at  all  times  meagre  and 
long,  seemed  extended  to  far  more  than  its  usual  di 
mensions,  the  under  jaw  appearing  fallen  and  trebly 
attenuated.  The  light-blue  protruding  eyes  were 
open  to  the  utmost,  and  they  expressed  a  certain 
confused  wildness,  that  was  none  the  less  striking,  for 
the  painful  expression  of  mental  suffering,  with  which 
it  was  mingled.  Both  hands  were  raised,  with  the 
palms  outward ;  while  the  shoulders  of  the  poor  fel 
low  were  elevated  so  high,  as  entirely  to  destroy  the 
little  symmetry  that  Nature  had  bestowed  on  that 
particular  part  of  his  frame. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  look  of  the  negro  was 
guilty,  dogged,  and  cunning.  His  eye  leered  askance, 
seeming  to  wish  to  play  around  the  person  of  his 
master,  as,  it  will  be  seen,  his  language  endeavored 
to  play  around  his  understanding.  The  hands  crushed 
the  crown  of  a  woollen  hat  between  their  fingers, 
and  one  of  his  feet  described  semicircles  with  its  toe, 
by  performing  nervous  evolutions  on  its  heel. 

"Well!"  ejaculated  Myndert,  regarding  each  in 
turn.  "What  news  from  the  Canadas? — Is  the 
Queen  dead,  or  has  she  restored  the  colony  to  the 
United  Provinces  ? " 

"  Mam'selle  Alide !"  exclaimed,  or  rather  groaned, 
Francois. 

"  The  poor  dumb  beast ! — "  muttered  Euclid. 

The  knives  and  the  forks  fell  from  the  hands  r/ 
Myndert  and  his  guest,  as  it  were  by  a  simultaneous 
paralysis.  The  latter  involuntarily  arose ;  while  the 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  153 

former  planted  his  solid  person  still  more  firmly  in  its 
seat,  like  one  who  was  preparing  to  meet  some  se 
vere  and  expected  shock,  with  all  the  physical  reso 
lution  he  could  muster. 

" — What  of  my  niece  ? — What  of  my  geldings  ? — 
lrou  have  called  upon  Dinah  ? " 

*'•  Sans  doute,  Monsieur  ! " 

*! — And  you  kept  the  keys  of  the  stable  1" 

'*  I  nebber  let  him  go,  at  all !" 

" — And  you  bade  her  call  her  mistress?" 

"  She  no  make  answair,  de  tout." 

" — The  animals  were  fed  and  watered,  as  I  or 
dered?" 

"  'Em  nebber  take  he  food,  better  ! " 

" — You  entered  the  chamber  of  my  niece,  your 
self,  to  awake  her?" 

"  Monsieur  a  raison." 

"  What  the  devil  has  befallen  the  innocent  ?" 

"  He  lose  he  stomach  quite,  and  I  t'ink  it  great 
time  'fore  it  ebber  come  back." 

" — Mister  Francis,  I  desire  to  know  the  answer  of 
Monsieur  Barberie's  daughter." 

"  Mam'selle  no  repond,  Monsieur ;  pas  un  syllabe!" 

" — Drenchers  and  fleams !  The  beauty  should 
have  been  drenched  and  blooded — " 

"  He'm  too  late  for  dat,  Masser,  on  honor." 

" — The  obstinate  hussy  !  This  comes  of  her  Hu 
guenot  breed,  a  race  that  would  quit  house  and 
lands  rather  than  change  its  place  of  worship !" 

"  La  famille  de  Barberie  est  honorable,  Monsieur 
amis  le  Grand  Monarque  fut  un  peu  trop  exigeant. 
Vraiment,  la  dragonade  etait  mal  avisee,  pour  faire 
des  Chretiens  !" 

"  Apoplexies  and  hurry  !  you  should  have  sent  foi 
the  farrier  to  administer  to  tne  sufferer,  thou  black 
hound!" 

"  'Em  go  for  a  butcher,  Masser,  to  save  he  skin 
for  he  war'  too  soon  dead." 


154  THE   WATER-WITCH. 

The  word  dead  produced  a  sudden  pause.  The 
preceding  dialogue  had  been  so  rapid,  and  question 
and  answer,  no  less  than  the  ideas  of  the  principal 
speaker,  had  got  so  confused,  that,  for  a  moment,  he 
was  actually  at  a  loss  to  understand,  whether  the 
*ast  great  debt  of  nature  had  been  paid  by  la  belle 
Barberie,  or  one  of  the  Flemish  geldings.  Until  now, 
consternation,  as  well  as  the  confusion  of  the  inter 
view,  had  constrained  the  Patroon  to  be  silent,  but  he 
profited  by  the  breathing-time  to  interpose. 

"  It  is  evident,  Mr.  Van  Beverout,"  he  said,  speak 
ing  with  a  tremor  in  the  voice,  which  betrayed  his 
own  uneasiness,  "that  some  untoward  event  has  oc 
curred.  Perhaps  the  negro  and  I  had  better  retire, 
that  you  may  question  Francis  concerning  that  which 
hath  befallen  Mademoiselle  Barberie,  more  at  your 
leisure." 

The  Alderman  was  recalled  from  a  profound  stu 
por,  by  this  gentlemanlike  and  considerate  proposal. 
He  bowed  his  acknowledgments,  and  permitted  Mr. 
VTan  Staats  to  quit  the  room ;  but  when  Euclid  would 
have  followed,  he  signed  to  the  negro  to  remain. 

"  I  may  have  occasion  to  question  thee  farther," 
he  said,  in  a  voice  that  had  lost  most  of  that  compass 
and  depth  for  which  it  was  so  remarkable.  "  Stand 
there,  sirrah,  and  be  in  readiness  to  answer.  And 
now,  Mr.  Francis,  I  desire  to  know  why  my  niece  de 
clines  taking  the  breakfast  with  myself  and  my 
guest?" 

"  Mon  Dieu,  Monsieur,  it  is  not  possible  y  repondre 
Les  sentiments  des  demoiselles  are  nevair  decides ! " 

"  Go  then,  and  say  to  her,  that  my  sentiments  are 
decided  to  curtail  certain  bequests  and  devises,  which 
have  consulted  her  interests  more  than  strict  justice 
to  others  of  my  blood — ay,  and  even  of  my  name, 
might  dictate." 

"Monsieur  y  rdflechira.  ManYselle  Alide  be  so 
ycrung  personne ! " 


1HE    WATER- WITCH.  155 

44  Old  or  young,  my  mind  is  made  up ;  and  so  to 
four  Cour  des  Fees,  and  tell  the  lazy  minx  as  much. 
— Thou  hast  ridden  that  innocent,  thou  scowling  imp 
of  darkness  ! " 

"  Mais,  pensez-y,  je  vous  en  prie,  Monsieur. 
Mam'selle  shall  nevair  se  sauver  encore  ;  jamais,  je 
vous  en  repond." 

'*  What  is  the  fellow  jabbering  about  ?"  exclaimed 
the  Alderman,  whose  mouth  fell  nearly  to  the  degree 
that  rendered  the  countenance  of  the  valet  so  singu 
larly  expressive  of  distress.  "  Where  is  my  niece, 
Sir  ? — and  what  means  this  allusion  to  her  absence  ?" 

"  La  fille  de  Monsieur  de  Barberie  n'y  est  pas ! " 
cried  Francois,  whose  heart  was  too  full  to  utter 
more.  The  aged  and  affectionate  domestic  laid  his 
hand  on  his  breast,  with  an  air  of  acute  suffering ; 
and  then,  remembering  the  presence  of  his  superior, 
he  turned,  bowed  with  a  manner  of  profound  condo 
lence,  struggled  manfully  with  his  own  emotion,  and 
succeeded  in  getting  out  of  the  room  with  dignity 
and  steadiness. 

It  is  due  to  the  character  of  Alderman  Van  Bevel 
yut,  to  say,  that  the  blow  occasioned  by  the  sudden 
death  of  the  Flemish  gelding,  lost  some  of  its  force, 
in  consequence  of  so  unlooked-for  a  report  concern 
ing  the  inexplicable  absence  of  his  niece.  Euclid 
was  questioned,  menaced,  and  even  anathematized, 
more  than  once,  during  the  next  ten  minutes ;  but 
the  cunning  slave  succeeded  in  confounding  himself 
so  effectually  with  the  rest  of  his  connexions  of  the 
half-blood,  during  the  search  which  instantly  fol 
lowed  the  report  of  Francois,  that  his  crime  was 
partially  forgotten. 

On  entering  la  Cour  des  Fees,  it  was,  in  truth, 
found  to  want  her  whose  beauty  and  grace  had  lent 
its  chief  attraction.  The  outer  rooms,  which  were 
small,  and  ordinarily  occupied  during  the  day  by 
Francois  and  the  negress  called  Dinah,  and  in  -1 


156  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

night  by  the  latter  only,  were  in  the  state  in  which 
they  might  be  expected  to  be  seen.  The  apartment 
of  the  attendant  furnished  evidence  that  its  occupant 
had  quitted  it  in  haste,  though  there  was  every  ap 
pearance  of  her  having  retired  to  rest  at  the  usual 
hour.  Clothes  were  scattered  carelessly  about ;  an 
though  most  of  her  personal  effects  had  disappeared 
enough  remained  to  prove  that  her  departure  had 
been  hurried  and  unforeseen. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  little  saloon,  with  the 
dressing-room  and  bed-room  of  la  belle  Barberie, 
were  in  a  state  of  the  most  studied  arrangement. 
Not  an  article  of  furniture  was  displaced,  a  door 
ajar,  or  a  window  open.  The  pavilion  had  evidently 
been  quitted  by  its  ordinary  passage,  and  the  door 
had  been  closed  in  the  customary  manner,  without 
using  the  fastenings.  The  bed  had  evidently  not 
been  entered,  for  the  linen  was  smooth  and  untouched. 
In  short,  so  complete  was  the  order  of  the  place, 
that,  yielding  to  a  powerful  natural  feeling,  the  Al 
derman  called  aloud  on  his  truant  niece,  by  name, 
as  if  he  expected  to  see  her  appear  from  some  place, 
in  which  she  had  secreted  her  person,  in  idle  sport. 
But  this  touching  expedient  was  vain.  The  voice 
sounded  hollow  through  the  deserted  rooms;  and 
though  all  waited  long  to  listen,  there  came  no  play 
ful  or  laughing  answer  back. 

"  Alida ! "  cried  the  burgher,  for  the  fourth  and 
last  time,  "  come  forth,  child ;  I  forgive  thee  thy  idle 
sport,  and  all  I  have  said  of  disinheritance  was  but  a 
jest.  Come  forth,  my  sister's  daughter,  and  kiss  thy 
old  uncle!" 

The  Patroon  turned  aside,  as  he  heard  a  man  so 
Known  for  his  worldliness  yielding  to  the  power  oi 
nature ;  and  the  lord  of  a  hundred  thousand  acres 
forgot  his  own  disappointment,  in  the  force  of  sym 
pathy. 

"  Let  us  retire,"  he  said,  gently  urging  the  burgher 


THE    W4TER- WITCH.  157 

to  quit  the  place.    "  A  little  reflection  will  enable  us 
to  decide  what  should  be  done." 

The  Alderman  complied.  Before  quitting  the 
place,  however,  its  closets  and  drawers  were  ex 
amined  ;  and  the  search  left  no  further  doubts  of  the 
fetep  which  the  young  heiress  had  taken.  Her  clothes, 
books,  utensils  for  drawing,  and  even  the  lighter  in 
struments  of  music,  had  disappeared. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

—Ay,  that  way  goes  the  game, 
Now  I  perceive  that  she  hath  made  compare 
Between  our  statures " 

MlDSOMMER-NlGHT'S   DREAM. 

THE  tide  of  existence  floats  downward,  and  with 
it  go,  in  their  greatest  strength,  all  those  affections 
that  unite  families  and  kindred.  We  learn  to  know 
our  parents  in  the  fullness  of  their  reason,  and  com 
monly  in  the  perfection  of  their  bodily  strength. 
Reverence  and  respect  both  mingle  with  our  love ; 
but  the  affection,  with  which  we  watch  the  help 
lessness  of  infancy,  the  interest  with  which  we  see 
the  ingenuous  and  young  profiting  by  our  care,  th 
pride  of  improvement,  and  the  magic  of  hope,  create 
an  intensity  of  sympathy  in  their  favor,  that  almost 
equals  the  identity  of  self-love.  There  is  a  mysteri 
ous  and  double  existence,  in  the  tie  that  binds  the 
parent  to  the  child.  With  a  volition  and  passions  of 
its  own,  the  latter  has  power  to  plant  a  sting  in  the 
bosom  of  the  former,  that  shall  wound  as  acutely  as 
the  errors  which  arise  from  mistakes,  almost  from 
crimes,  of  its  own.  But,  when  the  misconduct  of  the 
descendant  can  be  traced  to  neglect,  or  to  a  vicious 
O 


158  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

instruction,  then,  indeed,  even  the  pang  of  a  wounded 
conscience  may  be  added  to  the  sufferings  of  those 
who  have  gone  before.  Such,  in  some  measure,  was 
the  nature  of  the  pain  that  Alderman  Van  Beverout 
was  condemned  to  feel,  when  at  leisure  to  reflect  on 
the  ill-judged  measure  that  had  been  taken  by  la 
belle  Barberie. 

"  She  was  a  pleasant  and  coaxing  minx,  Patroon," 
said  the  burgher,  pacing  the  room  they  occupied, 
with  a  quick  and  heavy  step,  and  speaking  uncon 
sciously  of  his  niece,  as  of  one  already  beyond  the 
interests  of  life ;  "  and  as  wilful  and  headstrong  as  an 
unbroken  colt. — Thou  hard-riding  imp  !  I  shall  never 
find  a  match  for  the  poor  disconsolate  survivor. — 
But  the  girl  had  a  thousand  agreeable  and  delight 
ful  ways  with  her,  that  made  her  the  delight  of  my 
old  days.  She  has  not  done  wisely,  to  desert  the 
friend  and  guardian  of  her  youth,  ay,  even  of  her 
childhood,  in  order  to  seek  protection  from  stran 
gers.  This  is  an  unhappy  world,  Mr.  Van  Staats  ! 
All  our  calculations  come  to  nought ;  and  it  is  in  the 
power  of  fortune  to  reverse  the  most  reasonable  and 
wisest  of  our  expectations.  A  gale  of  wind  drives 
the  richly-freighted  ship  to  the  bottom;  a  sudden 
fall  in  the  market  robs  us  of  our  gold,  as  the  Novem 
her  wind  strips  the  oak  of  its  leaves;  and  bankrupt 
cies  and  decayed  credit  often  afflict  the  days  of  the 
oldest  houses,  as  disease  saps  the  strength  of  the 
body : — Alida  !  Alida  !  thou  hast  wounded  one  that 
never  harmed  thee,  and  rendered  my  age  misera 
ble!" 

"  It  is  vain  to  contend  with  the  inclinations,"  re 
turned  the  proprietor  of  the  manor,  sighing  in  a  man 
ner  that  did  no  discredit  to  the  sincerity  of  his  re 
mark.  "  I  could  have  been  happy  to  have  placed 
your  niece  in  the  situation  that  my  respected  mothei 
filled  with  so  much  dignity  and  credit,  but  it  is  uov> 
too  late " 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  159 

"We  don't  know  that; — we  don't  know  that;" 
interrupted  the  Alderman,  who  still  clung  to  the 
hope  of  effecting  the  first  great  wish  of  his  heart, 
with  the  pertinacity  with  which  he  would  have 
clung  to  the  terms  of  any  other  fortunate  bargain. 
"  We  should  never  despair,  Mr.  Van  Staats,  as  long 
as  the  transaction  is  left  open." 

"  The  manner  in  which  Mademoiselle  Barberie 
has  expressed  her  preference,  is  so  very  decided,  that 
I  see  no  hope  of  completing  the  arrangement." 

"  Mere  coquetry,  Sir,  mere  coquetry !  The  girl 
has  disappeared  in  order  to  enhance  the  value  of  her 
future  submission.  One  should  never  regard  a  treaty 
at  an  end,  so  long  as  reasonable  hopes  remain  that 
it  may  be  productive  to  the  parties." 

"  I  fear,  Sir,  there  is  more  of  the  coquette  in  this 
step  of  the  young  lady,  than  a  gentleman  can  over 
look,"  returned  the  Patroon  a  little  dryly,  and  with 
far  more  point  than  he  was  accustomed  to  use.  "  If 
the  commander  of  Her  Majesty's  cruiser  be  not  a 
happy  man,  he  will  not  have  occasion  to  reproach 
his  mistress  with  disdain  ! " 

"  I  am  not  certain,  Mr.  Van  Staats,  that  in  the 
actual  situation  of  our  stipulations,  I  ought  to  over 
look  an  innuendo  that  seems  to  reflect  on  the  discre 
tion  of  my  ward.  Captain  Ludlow well,  sirrah  ! 

what  is  the  meaning  of  this  impertinence?" 

"  He'm  waiting  to  see  Masser,"  returned  the  gap 
ing  Erasmus,  who  stood  with  the  door  in  his  hand, 
admiring  the  secret  intelligence  of  his  master,  who 
nad  so  readily  anticipated  his  errand. 

"Who  is  waiting?  —  What  does  the  simpleton 
mean?" 

"  I  mean  'a  gentle'um  Masser  say." 

"  The  fortunate  man  is  here  to  remind  us  of  his 
success,"  haughtily  observed  Van  Staats  of  Kinder- 
hook.  "  There  can  be  no  necessity  of  my  presence 


160  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

at  an  interview  between  Alderman  Van  Beverout 
and  his  nephew." 

The  justly-mortified  Patroon  bowed  ceremoniously 
to  the  equally  disappointed  burgher,  and  left  the 
room  the  moment  he  had  done  speaking.  The  negro 
took  his  retreat  as  a  favorable  symptom  for  one  who 
was  generally  known  to  be  his  rival ;  and  he  hasten 
ed  to  inform  the  young  captain,  that  the  coast  was 
clear. 

The  meeting,  that  instantly  succeeded,  was  suffi 
ciently  constrained  and  awkward.  Alderman  Van 
Beverout  assumed  a  manner  of  offended  authority 
and  wounded  affection;  while  the  officer  of  the 
Queen  wore  an  air  of  compelled  submission  to  a  duty 
that  he  found  to  be  disagreeable.  The  introduction 
of  the  discourse  was  consequently  ceremonious,  and 
punctiliously  observant  of  courtesy. 

"It  has  become  my  office,"  continued  Ludlow, 
after  the  preliminaries  had  been  observed,  to  express 
the  surprise  I  feel,  that  a  vessel  of  the  exceedingly 
equivocal  appearance  of  the  brigantine,  that  is 
anchored  in  the  Cove,  should  be  found  in  a  situation 
to  create  unpleasant  suspicions  concerning  the  com 
mercial  propriety  of  a  merchant  so  well  known  as 
Mr.  Alderman  Van  Beverout." 

"  The  credit  of  Myndert  Van  Beverout  is  too  well 
established,  Captain  Cornelius  Ludlow,  to  be  affected 
by  the  accidental  position  of  ships  and  bays.  I  see 
two  vessels  anchored  near  the  Lust  in  Rust,  and  it 
called  upon  to  give  my  testimony  before  the  Queen 
in  Council,  I  should  declare  that  the  one  which  wears 
her  royal  pennant  had  done  more  wrong  to  her  sub- 
iects  than  the  stranger.  But  what  harm  is  known 
of  the  latter?" 

"  I  shall  not  conceal  any  of  the  facts ;  for  I  feei 
that  this  is  a  case,  in  which  a  gentleman  of  your 
station  has  the  fullest  right  to  the  benefit  of  expla- 
nati 


THE   WATER- WITCH.  161 

"  Hem — "  interrupted  the  burgher,  who  disliked 
the  manner  in  which  his  companion  had  opened  the 
interview,  and  who  thought  he  saw  the  commence 
ment  of  a  forced  compromise  in  the  turn  it  was 
taking; — "Hem — I  commend  your  moderation,  Cap 
tain  Ludlow.  Sir,  we  are  flattered  in  having  a  native 
of  the  Province  in  so  honorable  a  command  on  the 
coast.  Be  seated,  I  pray  you,  young  gentleman,  that 
we  may  converse  more  at  leisure.  The  Ludlows  are 
an  ancient  and  well-established  family  in  the  colonies; 
and  though  they  were  no  friends  of  King  Charles, 
why — we  have  others  here  in  the  same  predicament. 
There  are  few  crowns  in  Europe  that  might  not  trace 
some  of  their  discontented  subjects  to  these  colonies; 
and  the  greater  the  reason,  say  I,  why  we  should  not 
be  too  hasty  in  giving  faith  to  the  wisdom  of  this 
European  legislation.  I  do  not  pretend,  Sir,  to  admire 
all  the  commercial  regulations  which  flow  from  the 
wisdom  of  Her  Majesty's  counsellors.  Candor  forbids 
that  I  should  deny  this  truth :  but — what  of  the  brig- 
antine  in  the  Cove  1 " 

"  It  is  not  necessary  to  tell  one  so  familiar  with 
the  affairs  of  commerce,  of  the  character  of  a  vessel 
called  the  Water- Witch,  nor  of  that  of  its  lawless 
commander,  the  notorious  *  Skimmer  of  the  Seas."' 

"  Captain  Ludlow  is  not  about  to  accuse  Alderman 
Van  Beverout  of  a  connexion  with  such  a  man  ! "  ex 
claimed  the  burgher,  rising  as  it  were  involuntarily, 
and  actually  recoiling  a  foot  or  two,  apparently  under 
the  force  of  indignation  and  surprise. 

"  Sir,  I  am  not  commissioned  to  accuse  any  of  the 
Queen's  subjects.  My  duty  is  to  guard  her  interests 
on  the  water,  to  oppose  her  open  enemies,  and  to  up- 
hold  her  royal  prerogatives," 

"  An  honorable  employment,  and  one  I  doubt  not 

that  is  honorably  discharged.  Resume  your  seat,  Sir; 

for  I  foresee  that  the  conference  is  likely  to  end  as  it 

should,  between  a  son  of  the  late  very  respectable 

O2 


162  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

King's  counsellor  and  his  father's  friend.  You  have 
reason  then  for  thinking  that  this  brigantine,  which 
has  so  suddenly  appeared  in  the  Cove,  has  some  re 
mote  connexion  with  the  Skimmer  of  the  Seas?" 

"  I  believe  the  vessel  to  be  the  famous  Water- 
Witch  itself,  and  her  commander  to  be,  of  course, 
that  well-known  adventurer." 

"  Well,  Sir — well,  Sir — this  may  be  so.  It  is  im 
possible  for  me  to  deny  it — but  what  should  such  a 
reprobate  be  doing  here,  under  the  guns  of  a  Queen's 
cruiser?" 

"  Mr.  Alderman,  my  admiration  of  your  niece  is 
not  unknown  to  you." 

"I  have  suspected  it,  Sir;"  returned  the  burgher, 
who  believed  the  tenor  of  the  compromise  was  get 
ting  clearer,  but  who  still  waited  to  know  the  exact 
value  of  the  concessions  the  other  party  would  make, 
before  he  closed  a  bargain,  in  a  hurry,  of  which  he 
might  repent  at  his  leisure — "  Indeed,  it  has  even 
been  the  subject  of  some  discourse  between  us." 

"  This  admiration  induced  me  to  visit  your  villa, 
the  past  night, " 

"  This  is  a  fact  too  well  established,  young  gentle 
man." 

"  Whence  I  took  away "  Ludlow  hesitated,  as 

if  anxious  to  select  his  words — 

"Alida  Barberie." 

"Alida  Barberie!" 

"Ay,  Sir;  my  niece,  or  perhaps  I  should  say  my 
heiress,  as  well  as  the  heiress  of  old  Etienne  de  Bar 
berie.  The  cruise  was  short,  Captain  Cornelius 
Ludlow ;  but  the  prize-money  will  be  ample — unless, 
indeed,  a  claim  to  neutral  privileges  should  be  es 
tablished  in  favor  of  part  of  the  cargo!" 

"  Sii,  your  pleasantry  is  amusing,  but  I  have  little 
leisure  for  its  enjoyment.  That  I  visited  the  Cour 
des  Fees,  shall  not  be  denied.  I  think  la  belle  Bar- 


THE   WATER- WITCH.  163 

be*rie  will  not  be  offended,  under  the  circumstances, 
with  this  acknowledgment." 

"  If  she  is,  the  jade  has  a  rare  squeamishness,  after 
what  has  passed ! " 

"  I  pretend  not  to  judge  of  more  than  my  duty 
The  desire  to  serve  my  royal  mistress  had  induced 
me,  Mr.  Van  Beverout,  to  cause  a  seaman  of  odd 
attire  and  audacious  deportment  to  enter  the  Co 
quette.  You  will  know  the  man,  when  1  tell  you 
that  he  was  your  companion  in  the  island  ferry-boat." 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  confess  there  was  a  mariner  of  the 
long  voyage  there,  who  caused  much  surprise,  and 
some  uneasiness,  to  myself  and  niece,  as  well  as  to 
Van  Sfaats  of  Kinderhook." 

Ludlow  smiled,  like  one  not  to  he  deceived,  as  he 
continued. 

"  Well,  Sir,  this  man  so  far  succeeded,  as  to  tempt 
me  to  suffer  him  to  land,  under  the  obligation  of  some 
half-extorted  promise — we  came  into  the  river  to 
gether,  and  entered  your  grounds  in  company." 

Alderman  Van  Beverout  now  began  to  listen  like 
a  man  who  dreaded,  while  he  desired  to  catch,  each 
syllable.  Observing  that  Ludlow  paused,  and 
watched  his  countenance  with  a  cool  and  steady  eye, 
he  recovered  his  self-oommand,  and  affected  a  mere 
ordinary  curiosity,  while  he  signed  to  him  to  proceed. 

"I  am  not  sure  I  tell  Alderman  Van  Beverout 
any  thing  that  is  new,"  resumed  the  young  officer, 
"  when  I  add,  that  the  fellow  suffered  me  to  visit  the 
pavilion,  and  then  contrived  to  lead  me  into  an  am 
bush  of  lawless  men,  having  previously  succeeded  in 
making  captives  of  my  boat's-crew." 

"  Seizures  and  warrants  !"  exclaimed  the  burgher, 
in  his  natural  strong  and  hasty  manner  of  speaking. 
"  This  is  the  first  I  have  heard  of  the  affair.  It  was 
ill-judged,  to  call  it  by  no  other  term." 

Ludlow  seemed  relieved,  when  he  saw,  by  the  un 
disguised  amazement  of  his  companion,  that  the  lat 


164  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

ter  was,  in  truth,  ignorant  of  the  matter  in  w.iich 
he  had  been  detained. 

"  It  might  not  have  been,  Sir,  had  our  watch  been 
as  vigilant  as  their  artifice  was  deep,"  he  continued. 
"  But  I  was  little  guarded,  and  having  no  means  to 
reach  my  ship,  I " 

"Ay,  ay,  Captain  Ludlow;  it  is  not  necessary  to 
be  so  circumstantial ;  you  proceeded  to  the  wharf, 
and " 

"  Perhaps,  Sir,  I  obeyed  my  feelings,  rather  than 
my  duty,"  observed  Ludlow,  coloring  high,  when  he 
perceived  that  the  burgher  paused  to  clear  his  throat, 
"  I  returned  to  the  pavilion,  where " 

"  You  persuaded  a  niece  to  forget  her  duty* to  her 
uncle  and  protector." 

"  This  is  a  harsh  and  most  unjustifiable  charge, 
both  as  respects  the  young  lady  and  myself.  I  can 
distinguish  between  a  very  natural  desire  to  possess 
articles  of  commerce  that  are  denied  by  the  laws 
and  a  more  deliberate  and  mercenary  plot  against 
the  revenue  of  the  country.  I  believe  there  are  few 
of  her  years  and  sex,  who  would  refuse  to  purchase 
the  articles  I  saw  presented  to  the  eyes  of  la  belle 
Barberie,  especially  when  the  utmost  hazard  could 
be  no  more  than  their  loss,  as  they  were  already  in 
troduced  into  the  country." 

"  A  just  discrimination,  and  one  likely  to  render 
the  arrangement  of  our  little  affairs  less  difficult !  I 
was  sure  that  my  old  friend  the  counsellor  would  not 
have  left  a  son  of  his  ignorant  of  principles,  more 
especially  as  he  was  about  to  embark  in  a  profession 
of  so  much  responsibility. — And  so,  my  niece  had  the 
imprudence  to  entertain  a  dealer  in  contraband?" 

"  Alderman  Van  Beverout,  there  were  boats  in 
motion  on  the  water,  between  this  landing  and  the 
brigantine  in  the  Cove.  A  periagua  even  left  the 
river  for  the  city,  at  the  extraordinary  hour  of  mid 
night  !" 


THE    W^TER- WITCH.  165 

"Sir,  boats  will  move  on  the  water,  when  the 
hands  of  man  set  them  in  motion ;  but  what  have  1 
to  answer  for  in  the  matter  ?  If  goods  have  entered 
the  Province,  without  license,  why,  they  must  be 
found  and  condemned;  and  if  free -traders  are  on  the 
coast,  they  should  be  caught.  Would  it  not  be  well 
to  proceed  to  town,  and  lay  the  fact  of  this  strange 
brigantine's  presence  before  the  Governor,  without 
delay?" 

"  I  have  other  intentions.  If,  as  you  say,  goods 
have  gone  up  the  bay,  it  is  too  late  for  me  to  stop 
them ;  but  it  is  not  too  late  to  attempt  to  seize  yon 
brigantine.  Now,  I  would  perform  this  duty  in  a 
manner  as  little  likely  to  offend  any  of  reputable 
name,  as  my  allegiance  will  admit." 

"  Sir,  I  extol  this  discretion — not  that  there  is  any 
testimony  to  implicate  more  than  the  crew,  but  credit 
is  a  delicate  flower,  and  it  should  be  handled  ten 
derly.  I  see  an  opening  for  an  arrangement — but, 
we  will,  as  in  duty  bound,  hear  your  propositions 
first,  since  you  may  be  said  to  speak  with  the  au 
thority  of  the  Queen.  I  will  merely  surmise  that 
terms  should  be  moderate,  between  friends; — per 
haps  I  should  say,  between  connexions,  Captain  Lud- 
low." 

"  I  am  flattered  by  the  word,  Sir,"  returned  the 
young  sailor,  smiling  with  an  expression  of  delight. 
"First  suffer  me  to  be  admitted  to  the  charming 
Cour  des  Fees,  but  for  a  moment." 

"  That  is  a  favor  which  can  hardly  be  refused  you; 
who  may  be  said  to  have  a  right,  now,  to  enter  the 
pavilion  at  pleasure,"  returned  the  Alderman,  un 
hesitatingly  leading  the  way  through  the  long  passage 
to  the  deserted  apartments  of  his  niece,  and  continu 
ing  the  blind  allusions  to  the  affairs  of  the  preceding 
night,  in  the  same  indirect  manner  as  had  distin 
guished  the  dialogue  during  the  whole  interview.  "  I 
shall  not  be  unreasonable,  young  gentleman,  and 


166  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

here  is  the  pavilion  of  my  niece ;  I  wish  I  could  add, 
and  here  also  is  its  mistress!" 

"  And  is  la  belle  Barberie  no  longer  a  tenant  of  la 
Cour  des  Fees ! "  demanded  Ludlow,  in  a  surprise  too 
natural  to  be  feigned. 

Alderman  Van  Beverout  regarded  the  young  man 
in  wonder ;  pondered  a  moment,  to  consider  how  fai 
denying  a  knowledge  of  the  absence  of  his  niece 
might  benefit  the  officer,  in  the  pending  negotiation; 
and  then  he  dryly  observed,  "  Boats  passed  on  the 
water,  during  the  night.  If  the  men  of  Captain  Lud 
low  were  at  first  imprisoned,  I  presume  they  were 
set  at  liberty  at  the  proper  time." 

"•  They  are  carried  I  know  not  whither — the  boat 
itself  is  gone,  and  I  am  here  alone." 

"  Am  I  to  understand,  Captain  Ludlow,  that  Alida 
Barberie  has  not  fled  my  house,  during  the  past  night, 
to  seek  a  refuge  in  your  ship?" 

"Fled!"  echoed  the  young  man,  in  a  voice  of 
horror.  "  Has  Alida  de  Barberie  fled  from  the  house 
of  her  uncle,  at  all  ? " 

"  Captain  Ludlow,  this  is  not  acting.  On  the  honor 
of  a  gentleman,  are  you  ignorant  of  my  niece's  ab 
sence?" 

The  young  commander  did  not  answer ;  but,  strik 
ing  his  head  fiercely,  he  smothered  words  that  were 
unintelligible  to  his  companion.  When  this  moment 
ary  burst  of  feeling  was  past,  he  sunk  into  a  chair, 
and  gazed  about  him  in  stupid  amazement.  All  this 
pantomime  was  inexplicable  to  the  Alderman,  who, 
however,  began  to  see  that  more  of  the  conditions 
of  the  arrangement  in  hand  were  beyond  the  control 
of  his  companion,  than  he  had  at  first  believed.  Still 
the  plot  thickened,  rather  than  grew  clear ;  and  he 
was  afraid  to  speak,  lest  he  might  utter  more  than 
was  prudent.  The  silence,  therefore,  continued  for 
quite  a  minute;  during  which  time,  the  parties  sat 
gazing  at  each  other  in  dull  wonder. 


THJJ    WATER- WITCH.  167 

"  1  shall  not  deny,  Captain  Ludlow,  that  I  believed 
you  had  prevailed  on  my  niece  to  fly  aboard  the 
Coquette ;  for,  though  a  man  who  has  always  kept 
his  feelings  in  his  own  command,  as  the  safest  man 
ner  of  managing  particular  interests,  yet  I  am  not 
to  learn  that  rash  youth  is  often  guilty  of  folly.  I  am 
now  equally  at  a  loss  with  yourself,  to  know  what 
has  become  of  her,  since  here  she  is  not." 

"Hold!"  eagerly  interrupted  Ludlow.  "A  boat 
left  your  wharf,  for  the  city,  in  the  earlier  hours  of 
the  morning.  Is  it  not  possible  that  she  may  have 
taken  a  passage  in  it?" 

"  It  is  not  possible.  I  have  reasons  to  know — in 
short,  Sir,  she  is  not  there." 

"  Then  is  the  unfortunate — the  lovely — the  indis 
creet  girl  for  ever  lost  to  herself  and  us ! "  exclaimed 
the  young  sailor,  actually  groaning  under  his  mental 
agony.  "  Rash,  mercenary  man  !  to  what  an  act  of 
madness  has  this  thirst  of  gold  driven  one  so  fair — 
would  I  could  say,  so  pure  and  so  innocent ! " 

But  while  the  distress  of  the  lover  was  thus  vio- 
ient,  and  caused  him  to  be  so  little  measured  in  his 
terms  of  reproach,  the  uncle  of  the  fair  offender  ap 
peared  to  be  lost  in  surprise.  Though  la  belle  Bar- 
berie  had  so  well  preserved  the  decorum  and  reserve 
of  her  sex,  as  to  leave  even  her  suitors  in  doubt  of 
the  way  her  inclinations  tended,  the  watchful  Alder 
man  had  long  suspected  that  the  more  ardent,  open, 
and  manly  commander  of  the  Coquette  was  likely  to 
triumph  over  one  so  cold  in  exterior,  and  so  cautious 
in  his  advances,  as  the  Patroon  of  Kinderhook.  When, 
therefore,  it  became  apparent  Alida  had  disappear 
ed,  he  quite  naturally  inferred  that  she  had  taken 
the  simplest  manner  of  defeating  all  his  plans  for 
favoring  the  suit  of  the  latter,  by  throwing  herself, 
at  once,  into  the  arms  of  the  young  sailor.  The  laws 
of  the  colonies  offered  few  obstacles  to  the  legality 
»f  their  union;  and  when  Ludlow  appeared  that 


168  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

morning,  he  firmly  believed  that  he  beheld  one,  who, 
if  he  were  not  so  already,  was  inevitably  soon  to  be- 
come  his  nephew.  But  the  suffering  of  the  disap 
pointed  youth  could  not  be  counterfeited ;  and,  pre 
vented  from  adhering  to  his  first  opinion,  the  per 
plexed  Alderman  seemed  utterly  at  a  loss  to  conjec 
ture  what  could  have  become  of  his  niece.  Wonder, 
rather  than  pain,  possessed  him;  and  when  he  suf 
fered  his  ample  chin  to  repose  on  the  finger  and 
thumb  of  one  hand,  it  was  with  the  air  of  a  man 
that  revolved,  in  his  mind,  all  the  plausible  points  of 
some  knotty  question. 

"Holes  and  corners!"  he  muttered,  after  a  long 
silence ;  "  the  wilful  minx  cannot  be  playing  at  hide- 
and-seek  with  her  friends !  The  hussy  had  ever  too 
much  of  la  famille  de  Barberie,  and  her  high  Norman 
blood  about  her,  as  that  silly  old  valet  has  it,  to  stoop 
to  such  childish  trifling.  Gone  she  certainly  is,"  he 
continued,  looking,  again,  into  the  empty  drawers 
and  closets,  "  and  with  her  the  valuables  have  disap 
peared.  The  guitar  is  missing — the  lute  I  sent  across 
the  ocean  to  purchase,  an  excellently-toned  Dutch 
lute,  that  cost  every  stiver  of  one  hundred  guilders, 
is  also  wanting,  and  all  the — hem — the  recent  acces 
sions  have  disappeared.  And  there,  too,  are  my 
sister's  jewels,  that  I  persuaded  her  to  bring  along, 
to  guard  against  accidents  while  our  backs  are  turn 
ed,  they  are  not  to  be  seen.  Francois !  Francois ! 
Thou  long-tried  servitor  of  Etienne  Barberie,  what 
the  devil  has  become  of  thy  mistress  ? " 

"  Mais,  Monsieur,"  returned  the  disconsolate  valet, 
whose  decent  features  exhibited  all  the  signs  of  \ine- 
quivocal  suffering,  "  she  no  tell  le  pauvre  Francois ! 
En  supposant,  que  Monsieur  ask  le  capitaine,  he 
shall  probablement  know." 

The  burgher  cast  a  quick  suspicious  glance  at 
Ludlow,  and  shook  his  head,  to  express  his  belief 
that  the  young  man  was  true. 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  1»69 

"  Go ;  desire  Mr.  Van  Staats  of  Kinderhook  to 
favor  us  with  his  company." 

"  Hold,"  cried  Ludlow,  motioning  to  the  valet  to 
withdraw.  "  Mr.  Beverout,  an  uncle  should  be  tender 
of  the  errors  of  one  so  dear  as  this  cruel,  unrefl-ect- 
ng  girl.  You  cannot  think  of  abandoning  her  to  so 
frightful  a  fortune !" 

"  I  am  not  addicted  to  abandoning  any  thing,  Sir 
to  which  my  title  is  just  and  legal.  But  you  speak 
in  enigmas.  If  you  are  acquainted  with  the  place 
where  my  niece  is  secreted,  avow  it  frankly,  and 
permit  me  to  take  those  measures  which  the  case 
requires." 

Ludlow  reddened  to  his  forehead,  and  he  struggled 
powerfully  with  his  pride  and  his  regrets. 

"  It  is  useless  to  attempt  concealing  the  step  which 
Alida  Barberie  has  been  pleased  to  take,''  he  said,  a 
smile  so  bitter  passing  over  his  features,  as  to  lend 
them  the  expression  of  severe  mockery;  "she  has 
chosen  more  worthily  than  either  of  us  could  have 
believed ;  she  has  found  a  companion  more  suited  to 
her  station,  her  character,  and  her  sex,  than  Van 
Staats  of  Kinderhook,  or  a  poor  commander  of  a 
Queen's  ship ! " 

"  Cruisers  and  manors  !  What  in  the  name  of  mys 
teries  is  thy  meaning  ?  The  girl  is  not  here ;  you  de 
clare  she  is  not  on  board  of  the  Coquette,  and  there 
remains  only " 

"The  brigantine!"  groaned  the  young  sailor 
uttering  the  word  by  a  violent  effort  of  the  will. 

"  The  brigantine !"  repeated  the  Alderman,  sJowly. 
"  My  niece  can  have  nothing  to  do  aboard  a  c  ealer 
in  contraband.  That  is  to  say,  Alida  Barberie  is  not 
a  trader." 

"  Alderman  Van  Beverout,  if  we  wish  to  escape 
the  contamination  of  vice,  its  society  must  be  avoid 
ed.  There  was  one  in  the  pavilion,  of  a  mien  and  as 
surance,  the  past  night,  that  might  delude  an  angel  > 


170  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

Ah  !  woman !  woman  !  thy  mind  is  composed  of  vani 
ties,  and  thy  imagination  is  thy  bitterest  foe !" 

"Women  and  vanities !"  echoed  the  amazed  burgh 
er.  "My  niece,  the  heiress  of  old  Etienne  Marie 
de  Barberie,  and  the  sought  of  so  many  of  honorable 
names  and  respectable  professions,  to  be  a  refugee 
with  a  rover ! — always  supposing  your  opinions  ol 
the  character  of  the  brigantine  to  be  just.  This  is  a 
conjecture  too  improbable  to  be  true." 

"  The  eye  of  a  lover,  Sir,  may  be  keener  than 
that  of  a  guardian — call  it  jealousy,  if  you  will, — 
would  to  Heaven  my  suspicions  were  untrue ! — but 
if  she  be  not  there,  where  is  she?" 

The  opinion  of  the  Alderman  seemed  staggered 
If  la  belle  Baiberie  had  not  yielded  to  the  fascina 
tions  of  that  wayward,  but  seductive,  eye  and  smile, 
to  that  singular  beauty  of  face,  and  to  the  secret  and 
often  irresistible  charm  that  encircles  eminent  per 
sonal  attractions,  when  aided  by  mystery,  to  what 
had  she  yielded,  and  whither  had  she  fled? 

These  were  reflections  that  now  began  to  pass 
through  the  thoughts  of  the  Alderman,  as  they  had 
already  planted  stings  in  the  bosom  of  Ludlow.  With 
reflection,  conviction  began  slowly  to  assert  its  power. 
But  the  truth  did  not  gleam  upon  the  mind  of  the 
calculating  and  wary  merchant,  with  the  same  in 
stinctive  readiness  that  it  had  flashed  upon  the  jealous 
faculties  of  the  lover.  He  pondered  on  each  circum 
stance  of  the  interview  between  the  dealer  in  contra 
band  and  his  niece;  recalled  the  manner  and  dis 
course  of  the  former  ;  drew  certain  general  and 
vague  conjectures  concerning  the  power  which  nov 
elty,  when  coupled  with  circumstances  of  romance, 
might  exercise  over  a  female  fancy ;  and  dwelt  long 
and  secretly  on  some  important  facts  that  were  alone 
known  to  himself, — before  his  judgment  finally  settled 
down  into  the  same  opinion,  as  that  which  his  com- 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  171 

panion  had  formed,  with  all  the   sensitiveness   o 
jealous  alarm. 

"  Women  and  vagaries  ! "  muttered  the  burgher, 
after  his  study  was  ended.  "  Their  conceits  are  as 
uncertain  as  the  profits  of  a  whaling  voyage,  or  the 
uck  of  a  sportsman.  Captain  Ludlow,  your  assist 
ance  will  be  needed  in  this  affair ;  and,  as  it  may 
not  be  too  late,  since  there  are  few  priests  in  the 
brigantine — always  supposing  her  character  to  be. 
what  you  affirm — my  niece  may  yet  see  her  error, 
and  be  disposed  to  reward  so  much  assiduity  and 
attachment/' 

"  My  services  shall  always  be  ready,  so  long  as 
they  can  be  useful  to  Alida  Barberie,"  returned  the 
young  officer  with  haste,  and  yet  a  little  coldly.  "  It 
will  be  time  enough  to  speak  of  the  reward,  when 
we  shall  have  succeeded." 

"  The  less  noise  that  is  made  about  a  little  domes 
tic  inconvenience  like  this,  the  better ;  and  I  would 
therefore  suggest  the  propriety  of  keeping  our  suspi 
cions  of  the  character  of  the  vessel  a  secret,  until 
we  shall  be  better  informed." 

The  captain  bowed  his  assent  to  the  proposal. 

"  And  now  that  we  are  of  the  same  mind  in  the 
preliminaries,  we  will  seek  the  Patroon  of  Kinder- 
hook,  who  has  a  claim  to  participate  in  our  confi 
dence." 

Myndert  then  led  the  way  from  the  empty  and 
melancholy  Cour  des  Fees,  with  a  step  that  had  re 
gained  its  busy  and  firm  tread,  and  a  countenance 
that  expressed  far  more  of  vexation  and  weariness, 
than  of  real  sorrow. 


172  THE    WATER- WITCH. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

14 — I'll  give  thee  a  wind. 

"—Thou  art  kind. 

" — And  I  another. 

" — I  myself  have  all  the  other." 

MACBETH 

THE  cloud  above  the  mouth  of  the  Raritan  had 
not  risen.  On  the  contrary,  the  breeze  still  came 
from  off  the  sea ;  and  the  brigantine  in  the  Cove, 
with  the  cruiser  of  the  Queen,  still  lay  at  their 
anchors,  like  two  floating  habitations  that  were  not 
intended  to  be  removed.  The  hour  was  that  at 
which  the  character  of  the  day  becomes  fixed ;  and 
there  was  no  longer  any  expectation  that  a  land, 
wind  would  enable  the  vessel  of  the  free-trader  to 
repass  the  inlet,  before  the  turn  of  the  tide,  which 
was  again  running  swiftly  on  the  flood. 

The  windows  of  the  Lust  in  Rust  were  open,  as 
when  its  owner  was  present ;  and  the  menials  were 
employed,  in  and  about  the  villa,  in  their  customary 
occupations;  though  it  was  evident,  by  the  manner 
in  which  they  stopped  to  converse,  and  by  the  fre 
quent  conferences  which  had  place  in  secret  corners, 
that  they  wondered  none  the  less  at  the  unaccount 
able  disappearance  of  their  young  mistress.  In  all 
other  respects,  the  villa  and  its  grounds  were,  as 
usual,  quiet  and  seemingly  deserted. 

But  there  was  a  group  collected  beneath  the  shade 
of  an  oak  on  the  margin  of  the  Cove,  and  at  a  point 
where  it  was  rare  for  man  to  be  seen.  This  little 
party  appeared  to  be  in  waiting  for  some  expected 
communication  from  the  brigantine  ;  since  they  had 
taken  post  on  the  side  of  the  inlet,  next  the  cape, 
and  in  a  situation  so  retired,  as  to  be  entirely  hid 
from  any  passing  observation  of  those  who  might 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  173 

enter  or  leave  the  mouth  of  the  Shrewsbury.  In 
short,  they  were  on  the  long,  low,  and  narrow  barrier 
of  sand,  that  now  forms  the  projection  of  the  Hook, 
and  which,  by  the  temporary  breach  that  the  Cove 
had  made  between  its  own  waters  and  that  of  the 
ocean,  was  then  an  island. 

"  Snug  should  be  the  motto  of  a  merchant,"  ob 
served  one  of  these  individuals,  whose  opinions  will 
sufficiently  announce  his  name  to  the  reader.  "  He 
should  be  snug  in  his  dealings,  and  snug  in  his  manner 
of  conducting  them;  snug  in  his  credits,  and,  above 
all,  snug  in  his  speculations.  There  is  as  little  need 
gentlemen,  in  calling  in  the  aid  of  a  posse-comitatus 
for  a  sensible  man  to  keep  his  household  in  order,  as 
that  a  discreet  trader  should  go  whistling  through 
the  public  markets,  with  the  history  of  his  opera 
tions.  I  gladly  court  two  so  worthy  assistants,  as 
Captain  Cornelius  Ludlow  and  Mr.  Oloff  Van  Staats ; 
for  I  know  there  will  be  no  useless  gossip  concerning 
the  trifling  derangement  that  hath  occurred.  Ah! 
the  black  hath  had  communications  with  the  free 
trader — always  supposing  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Ludlow 
concerning  the  character  of  the  vessel  to  be  just — 
and  he  is  quitting  the  brigantine." 

Neither  of  the  companions  of  the  Alderman  made 
any  reply.  Each  watched  the  movement  of  the  skiff 
that  contained  their  messenger,  and  each  seemed  to 
feel  an  equal  interest  in  the  result  of  his  errand.  In 
stead,  however,  of  approaching  the  spot  where  his 
master  and  his  two  friends  expected  him,  the  negro, 
though  he  knew  that  his  boat  was  necessary  to  en 
able  the  party  to  recross  the  inlet,  pulled  directly  for 
the  mouth  of  the  river, — a  course  that  was  exactly 
contrary  to  the  one  he  was  expected  to  take. 

"  Rank   disobedience ! "    grumbled    the   incensed 

master.   "  The  irreverent  dog  is  deserting  us,  on  this 

neck  of  barren  sand,  where  we  are  cut  off  from  all 

communication  with  the  interior,  and  are  as  com> 

P2 


174  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

pletely  without  intelligence  of  the  state  of  the  mar* 
ket,  and  other  necessaries,  as  men  in  a  desert!" 

"  Here  comes  one  that  seems  disposed  to  bring  us 

to  a  parley,"  observed  Ludlow,  whose  practised  eye 

had  first  detected  a  boat  quitting  the  side  of  the  brig- 

ntine,  as  well  as  the  direction  it  was  about  to  steer. 

The  young  commander  was  not  deceived ;  for  a 
ight  cutter,  that  played  like  a  bubble  on  its  element, 
was  soon  approaching  the  shore,  where  the  three  ex 
pectants  were  seated.  When  it  was  near  enough  to 
render  sight  perfectly  distinct,  and  speech  audible 
without  an  effort,  the  crew  ceased  rowing,  and  per 
mitted  the  boat  to  lie  in  a  state  of  rest.  The  mari 
ner  of  the  India-shawl  then  arose  in  the  stern-sheets, 
and  examined  the  thicket  behind  the  party,  with  a 
curious  and  suspicious  eye.  After  a  sufficient  search, 
he  signed  to  his  crew  to  force  the  cutter  still  nigher 
to  the  land,  and  spoke : 

"  Who  has  affairs  with  any  of  the  brigantine  ? " 
he  coolly  demanded,  wearing  the  air  of  one  who  had 
no  reason  to  anticipate  the  object  of  their  visit.  "  She 
has  little  left  that  can  turn  to  profit,  unless  she  parts 
with  her  beauty." 

"  Truly,  good  stranger,"  returned  the  Alderman, 
laying  a  sufficient  emphasis  on  the  latter  word,  "  here 
are  none  disposed  to  a  traffic,  which  might  not  be 
pleasing  to  the  authorities  of  the  country,  were  its 
nature  known.  We  come  with  a  desire  to  be  admit 
ted  to  a  conference  with  the  commander  of  the  ves 
sel,  on  a  matter  of  especial  but  private  concern." 

"  Why  send  a  public  officer  on  the  duty  ?  I  see 
one,  there,  in  the  livery  of  Queen  Anne.  We  are 
no  lovers  of  Her  Majesty's  servants,  and  would  not 
willingly  form  disagreeable  acquaintances." 

Ludlow  nearly  bit  through  his  lip,  in  endeavoring 
to  repress  his  anger,  at  the  cool  confidence  of  one 
who  had  already  treated  him  with  so  little  ceremony, 
and  then  momentarily  forgetting  his  object,  in  pro- 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  175 

fessional  pride,  and  perhaps  we  might  add  in  the 
habits  of  his  rank,  he  interrupted  the  dialogue — 

"  If  you  see  the  livery  of  the  royal  authority," 
he  said,  haughtily,  "  you  must  be  sensible  it  is  worn 
by  one  who  is  commissioned  to  cause  its  rights  to  be 
respected.  I  demand  the  name  and  character  of  yon 
brigantine  1 " 

"  As  for  character,  she  is,  like  any  other  beauty, 
something  vituperated ;  nay,  some  carry  their  envy 
so  far  as  to  call  it  cracked !  But  we  are  jolly  mari 
ners  that  sail  her,  and  little  heed  crazy  reports  at 
the  expense  of  our  mistress.  As  for  a  name,  we  an 
swer  any  hail  that  is  fairly  spoken,  and  well  meant. 
Call  us  « Honesty,'  if  you  will,  for  want  of  the  reg 
ister." 

"  There  is  much  reason  to  suspect  your  vessel  of 
illegal  practices ;  and,  in  the  name  of  the  Queen,  I 
demand  access  to  her  papers,  and  the  liberty  of  a  free 
search  into  her  cargo  and  crew.  Else  will  there  be 
necessity  to  bring  her  under  the  guns  of  the  cruiser, 
which  lies  at  no  great  distance,  waiting  only  for  or 
ders." 

"  It  takes  no  scholar  to  read  our  documents,  Cap 
tain  Ludlow ;  for  they  are  written  by  a  light  keel 
on  the  rolling  waters,  and  he  who  follows  in  our  wake 
may  guess  at  their  authority.  If  you  wish  to  over 
haul  our  cargo,  you  must  look  sharply  into  the  cuffs 
and  aprons,  the  negligees  and  stomachers  of  the  Gov 
ernor's  lady,  at  the  next  ball  at  the  fort ;  or  pry  into 
the  sail  that  is  set  above  the  farthingales  of  the  wife 
and  daughters  of  your  Admiralty  Judge  !  We  are  no 
cheesemongers,  to  break  the  shins  of  a  boarding  offi 
cer  among  boxes  and  butter-tubs." 

"  Your  brigantine  has  a  name,  sirrah  ;  and,  in  He. 
Majesty's  authority,  I  demand  to  know  it." 

"  Heaven  forbid  that  any  here  should  dispute  the 
Queen's  right !  You  are  a  seaman,  Captain  Ludlow, 
and  have  an  eye  for  comeliness  in  a  craft,  as  well  as 


176  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

in  a  woman.  Look  at  those  harpings!  There  is  no 
fall  of  a  shoulder  can  equal  that  curve,  in  grace  or 
richness ;  this  shear  surpasses  the  justness  and  deli 
cacy  of  any  waist ;  and  there  you  see  the  transoms, 
swelling  and  rounded  like  the  outlines  of  a  Venua 
Ah !  she  is  a  bewitching  creature ;  and  no  wondei 
that,  floating  as  she  does,  on  the  seas,  they  should 
have  called  her " 

"Water- Witch!"  said  Ludlow,  finding  that  the 
other  paused. 

"  You  deserve  to  be  one  of  the  sisterhood  yourself, 
Captain  Ludlow,  for  this  readiness  in  divination !" 

"  Amazement  and  surprise,  Patroon  ! "  exclaimed 
Myndert,  with  a  tremendous  hem  "  Here  is  a  dis 
covery  to  give  a  respectable  merchant  more  uneasi 
ness  than  the  undutiful  conduct  of  fifty  nieces!  This 
vessel  is  then  the  famous  brigantine  of  the  notorious 
*  Skimmer  of  the  Seas!'  a  man  whose  misdeeds  in 
commerce  are  as  universally  noted,  as  the  stoppage 
of  a  general  dealer !  Pray,  Master  Mariner,  do  not 
distrust  our  purposes.  We  do  not  come,  sent  by  any 
authority  of  the  country,  to  pry  into  your  past  trans 
actions,  of  which  it  is  quite  unnecessary  for  you  to 
speak ;  and  far  less  to  indulge  in  any  unlawful  thirst 
of  gain,  by  urging  a  traffic  that  is  forbidden  by  the 
law.  We  wish  solely  to  confer  with  the  celebrated 
free-trader  and  rover,  who  must,  if  your  account  be 
true,  command  the  vessel,  for  a  few  minutes,  on  an 
affair  of  common  interest  to  the  three.  This  officer 
of  the  Queen  is  obliged,  by  his  duty,  to  make  certain 
demands  of  you,  with  which  you  will  comply,  or  not, 
at  your  own  good  discretion  ;  and  since  Her  Majesty's 
cruiser  is  so  far  beyond  reach  of  bullet,  it  cannot  be 
expected  you  will  do  otherwise ;  but  further  than 
*hat,  he  has  no  present  intention  to  proceed.  Parley 
and  civilities !  Captain  Ludlow,  we  must  speak  the 
man  fair,  or  he  will  leave  us  tc  get  over  the  inlet 
and  back  to  the  Lust  in  Rust,  as  we  may ;  and  thaf 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  177 

too,  as  empty-handed  as  we  came.  Remember  our 
stipulations,  without  observing  which  I  shall  with 
draw  from  the  adventure,  altogether." 

Ludlow  bit  his  lip,  and  continued  silent.  The  sea 
man  of  the  shawl,  or  Master  Tiller,  as  he  has  been 
more  than  once  called,  again  narrowly  examined 
the  back-ground,  and  caused  his  boat  to  approach  so 
near  the  land,  that  it  was  possible  to  step  into  it,  by 
the  stern. 

"  Enter,"  he  said  to  the  Captain  of  the  Coquette, 
who  needed  no  second  invitation  ;  "  enter,  for  a  val 
uable  hostage  is  a  safe-pledge,  in  a  truce.  The 
Skimmer  is  no  enemy  to  good  company ;  and  I  have 
done  justice  to  the  Queen's  servitor,  by  introducing 
him  already,  by  name  and  character." 

"  Fellow,  the  success  of  your  deception  may  cause 
you  to  triumph  for  a  time ;  but  remember  that  the 
Coquette " 

"Is  a  wholesome  boat,  whose  abilities  I  have 
taken,  to  the  admeasurement  of  her  moment-glass;" 
observed  Tiller,  very  coolly  taking  the  words  out  of 
the  other's  mouth.  "  But  as  there  is  business  to  be 
done  with  the  Skimmer,  we  will  speak  more  of  this 
anon." 

The  mariner  of  the  shawl,  who  had  maintained 
his  former  audacious  demeanor,  now  became  grave; 
and  he  spoke  to  his  crew  with  authority,  bidding 
them  pull  the  boat  to  the  side  of  the  brigantine. 

The  exploits,  the  mysterious  character,  and  the 
daring  of  the  Water- Witch,  and  of  him  who  sailed 
her,  were,  in  that  day,  the  frequent  subjects  of  an 
ger,  admiration,  and  surprise.  Those  who  found 
pleasure  in  the  marvellous,  listened  to  the  wonders 
that  were  recounted  of  her  speed  and  boldness,  with 
pleasure ;  they  who  had  been  so  often  foiled  in  their 
attempts  to  arrest  the  hardy  dealers  in  contraband, 
reddened  at  her  name ;  and  all  wondered  at  the  suc 
cess  and  intelligence  with  which  her  movements 


178  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

were  controlled.  It  will,  therefore,  create  no  as* 
tonishment  when  we  say,  that  Ludlow  and  the  Pa« 
troon  drew  near  to  the  light  and  graceful  fabric, 
with  an  interest  that  deepened  at  each  stroke  of  the 
oars.  So  much  of  a  profession  which,  in  that  age, 
was  particularly  marked  and  apart  from  the  rest  of 
mankind  in  habits  and  opinions,  had  been  interwoven 
into  the  character  of  the  former,  that  he  could  not 
see  the  just  proportions,  the  graceful  outlines  of  the 
hull,  or  the  exquisite  symmetry  and  neatness  of  the 
spars  and  rigging,  without  experiencing  a  feeling 
somewhat  allied  to  that  which  undeniable  superiority 
excites  in  the  heart  of  even  a  rival.  There  was  also 
a  taste  in  the  style  of  the  merely  ornamental  parts 
of  the  delicate  machine,  which  caused  as  much  sur 
prise  as  her  model  and  rig. 

Seamen,  in  all  ages,  and  in  every  state  of  their 
art,  have  been  ambitious  of  bestowing  on  their  float 
ing  habitations,  a  style  of  decoration  which,  while 
appropriate  to  their  element,  should  be  thought 
somewhat  analogous  to  the  architectural  ornaments 
of  the  land.  Piety,  superstition,  and  national  usages, 
affect  these  characteristic  ornaments,  which  are  still 
seen,  in  different  quarters  of  the  world,  to  occasion 
broad  distinctions  between  the  appearances  of  ves 
sels.  In  one,  the  rudder-head  is  carved  with  the 
resemblance  of  some  hideous  monster ;  another  shows 
goggling  eyes  and  lolling  tongues  from  its  cat-heads  j 
this  has  the  patron  saint,  or  the  ever-kind  Marie, 
embossed  upon  its  mouldings  or  bows ;  while  that  is 
covered  with  the  allegorical  emblems  of  country  and 
duty.  Few  of  these  efforts  of  nautical  art  are  suc 
cessful,  though  a  better  taste  appears  to  be  gradu 
ally  redeeming  even  this  branch  of  human  industry 
from  the  rubbish  of  barbarism,  and  to  be  elevating 
it  to  a  state  which  shall  do  no  violence  to  the  more 
fastidious  opinions  of  the  age.  But  the  vessel  oi 
which  we  write,  though  constructed  at  so  remote  a 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  179 

period,  would  have  done  credit  to  the  improvements 
of  our  own  time. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  hull  of  this  celebrated 
smuggler  was  low,  dark,  moulded  with  exquisite  art, 
and  so  justly  balanced  as  to  ride  upon  its  element 
like  a  sea-fowl.  For  a  little  distance  above  the  wa 
ter,  it  showed  a  blue  that  vied  with  the  color  of  the 
deep  ocean,  the  use  of  copper  being  then  unknown ; 
while  the  more  superior  parts  were  of  a  jet  black, 
delicately  relieved  by  two  lines,  of  a  straw-color, 
that  were  drawn,  with  mathematical  accuracy,  par 
allel  to  the  plane  of  her  upper  works,  and  conse 
quently  converging  slightly  towards  the  sea,  beneath 
her  counter.  Glossy  hammock-cloths  concealed  the 
persons  of  those  who  were  on  the  deck,  while  the 
close  bulwarks  gave  the  brigantine  the  air  of  a  ves 
sel  equipped  for  war.  Still  the  eye  of  Ludlow  ran 
curiously  along  the  whole  extent  of  the  two  straw- 
colored  lines,  seeking  in  vain  some  evidence  of  the 
weight  and  force  of  her  armament.  If  she  had 
ports  at  all,  they  were  so  ingeniously  concealed  as  to 
escape  the  keenest  of  his  glances.  The  nature  of 
the  rig  has  been  already  described.  Partaking  of 
the  double  character  of  brig  and  schooner,  the  sails 
and  spars  of  the  forward-mast  being  of  the  former, 
while  those  of  the  after-mast  were  of  the  latter  con 
struction,  seamen  have  given  to  this  class  of  shipping 
the  familiar  name  of  Hermaphrodites.  But,  though 
there  might  be  fancied,  by  this  term,  some  want  of 
the  proportions  that  constitute  seemliness,  it  will  be 
remembered  that  the  departure  was  only  from  some 
former  rule  of  art,  and  that  no  violence  had  been 
done  to  those  universal  and  permanent  laws  which 
constitute  the  charm  of  nature.  The  models  of 
glass,  which  are  seen  representing  the  machinery  of 
a  ship,  are  not  more  exact  or  just  in  their  lines  than 
were  the  cordage  and  spars  of  this  brigantine.  Not 
a  rope  varied  from  its  true  direction ;  not  a  sail,  1 


180  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

it  resembled  the  neat  folds  of  some  prudent  house 
wife  ;  not  a  mast  or  a  yard  was  there ,  but  it  rose  into 
the  air,  or  stretched  its  arms,  with  the  most  fastidious 
attention  to  symmetry.  All  was  airy,  fanciful,  and 
full  of  grace,  seeming  to  lend  to  the  fabric  a  charac 
ter  of  unreal  lightness  and  speed.  As  the  boat  dre\\ 
near  her  side,  a  change  of  the  air  caused  the  buoy 
ant  bark  to  turn,  like  a  vane,  in  its  current ;  and  a 
the  long  and  pointed  proportions  of  her  head-gear 
came  into  view,  Ludlow  saw  beneath  the  bowsprit 
an  image  that  might  be  supposed  to  make,  by  means 
of  allegory,  some  obvious  allusions  to  the  character 
of  the  vessel.  A  female  form,  fashioned  with  the 
carver's  best  skill,  stood  on  the  projection  of  the  cut 
water.  The  figure  rested  lightly  on  the  ball  of  one 
foot,  while  the  other  was  suspended  in  an  easy  atti 
tude,  resembling  the  airy  posture  of  the  famous  Mer 
cury  of  the  Bolognese.  The  drapery  was  fluttering, 
scanty,  and  of  a  light  sea-green  tint,  as  if  it  had  im 
bibed  a  hue  from  the  element  beneath.  The  face 
was  of  that  dark  bronzed  color  which  human  in 
genuity  has,  from  time  immemorial,  adopted  as  the 
best  medium  to  portray  a  superhuman  expression. 
The  locks  were  dishevelled,  wild,  and  rich ;  the  eye, 
full  of  such  a  meaning  as  might  be  fancied  to  glitter 
in  the  organs  of  a  sorceress ;  while  a  smile  so  strangely 
meaning  and  malign  played  about  the  mouth,  that 
the  young  sailor  started,  when  it  first  met  his  view, 
as  if  a  living  thing  had  returned  his  look. 

"  Witchcraft  and  necromancy  !"  grumbled  the  Al 
derman,  as  this  extraordinary  image  came  suddenly 
on  his  vision  also.  "  Here  is  a  brazen-looking  hussy ! 
and  one  who  might  rob  the  Queen's  treasury,  itself; 
without  i  emorse !  Your  eyes  are  young,  Patroon 
what  is  that  the  minx  holds  so  impudently  above  hei 
head?" 

"  It  seems  an  open  book,  with  letters  of  red,  writ 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  181 

ten  on  its  pages.     One  need  not  be  a  conjurer,  to  di 
vine  it  is  no  extract  from  the  Bible." 

"  Nor  from  the  statute-books  of  Queen  Anne.  I 
warrant  me,  'tis  a  leger  of  profit  gained  in  her  many 
wanderings.  Goggling  and  leers  !  the  bold  air  of  the 
confident  creature  is  enough  to  put  an  honest  man 
out  of  countenance !" 

"  WilV  read  the  motto  of  the  witch?"  demanded 
he  of  the  India-shawl,  whose  eye  had  been  studying 
the  detail  of  the  brigantine's  equipment,  rather  than 
attending  to  the  object  which  so  much  attracted  the 
looks  of  his  companions.  "  The  night  air  has  taut'ned 
the  cordage  of  that  flying-jib-boom,  fellows,  until  it 
begins  to  lift  its  nose  like  a  squeamish  cockney, 
when  he  holds  it  over  salt-water !  See  to  it,  and 
bring  the  spar  in  line ;  else  shall  we  have  a  reproof 
from  the  sorceress,  who  little  likes  to  have  any  of  her 
limbs  deranged.  Here,  gentlemen,  the  opinions  of 
the  lady  may  be  read,  as  clearly  as  woman's  mind 
can  ever  be  fathomed." 

While  speaking  to  his  crew,  Tiller  had  changed 
the  direction  of  the  boat ;  and  it  was  soon  lying,  in 
obedience  to  a  motion'  of  his  hand,  directly  beneath 
the  wild  and  significant-looking  image,  just  described. 
The  letters  in  red  were  now  distinctly  visible ;  and 
when  Alderman  Van  Beverout  had  adjusted  his  spec 
tacles,  each  of  the  party  read  the  following  sen 
tence  : — 

"  Albeit,  I  neither  lend  nor  borrow, 

By  taking,  nor  by  giving  of  excess, 

Yet  to  supply  the  ripe  wants  of  my  friend, 

I'll  break  a  custom." 

MERCHANT  OF  VENICE. 

"  The  brazen  !"  exclaimed  Myndert,  when  he  ha 
got  through  this  quotation  from  the  immortal  bard. 
"  Ripe  or  green,  one  could  not  wish  to  be  the  friend 
of  so  impudent  a  thing ;  and  then  to  impute  such 
sentiments   to   any   respectable    commercial    man 

VOL.  L  a 


182  THE   WATER- WITCH 

whether  of  Venice  or  of  Amsterdam  !  Let  us  board 
the  brigantine,  friend  mariner,  and  end  the  connexion 
ere  foul  mouths  begin  to  traduce  our  motives  for  the 
vis't." 

"  The  over-driven  ship  plows  the  seas  too  deep 
for  speed ;  we  shall  get  into  port,  in  better  season 
without  this  haste.  Wilt  take  another  look  into  the 
dark  lady's  pages  ?  A  woman's  mind  is  never  known 
at  the  first  answer !" 

The  speaker  raised  the  rattan  he  still  carried,  and 
caused  a  page  of  painted  metal  to  turn  on  hinges 
that  were  so  artfully  concealed  as  not  to  be  visible. 
A  new  surface,  with  another  extract,  was  seen. 

"What  is  it,  what  is  it,  Patroon?"  demanded  the 
burgher,  who  appeared  greatly  to  distrust  the  discre 
tion  of  the  sorceress.  "  Follies  and  rhymes  !  but  this 
is  the  way  of  the  whole  sex ;  when  nature  has 
denied  them  tongues,  they  invent  other  means  of 
speech." 

"  Porters  of  the  sea  and  land, 
Thus  do  go  about,  about ; 
Thrice  to  thine,  and  thrice  to  thine, 
And  thrice  again  to  make  up  nine." 

"  Rank  nonsense !"  continued  the  burgher !  "  It  i» 
well  for  those  who  can,  to  add  thrice  and  thrice  to 
their  stores ;  but  look  you,  Patroon — it  is  a  thriving 
trade  that  can  double  the  value  of  the  adventure, 
and  that  with  reasonable  risks,  and  months  of  patient 
watching." 

"  We  have  other  pages,"  resumed  Tiller,  "  but  our 
affairs  drag  for  want  of  attending  to  them.  One  may 
read  much  good  matter  in  the  book  of  the  sorceress, 
when  there  is  leisure  and  opportunity.  I  often  take 
occasion,  in  the  calms,  to  look  into  her  volume ;  and 
it  is  rare  to  find  the  same  moral  twice  told,  as  these 
brave  seamen  can  swear." 

The  mariners  at  the  oars  confirmed  this  assertion. 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  183 

by  their  grave  and  believing  faces ;  while  their  su 
perior  caused  the  boat  to  quit  the  place,  and  the 
image  of  the  Water- Witch  was  left  floating  in  soli 
tude  above  her  proper  element. 

The  arrival  of  the  cutter  produced  no  sensation 
among  those  who  were  found  on  the  deck  of  the  brig- 
antine.  The  mariner  of  the  shawl  welcomed  his 
companions,  frankly  and  heartily ;  and  then  he  left 
them  for  a  minute  to  make  their  observations,  while 
he  discharged  some  duty  in  the  interior  of  the  vessel. 
The  moments  were  not  lost,  as  powerful  curiosity 
induced  all  the  visiters  to  gaze  about  them,  in  the 
manner  in  which  men  study  the  appearance  of  any 
celebrated  object,  that  has  long  been  known  only  by 
reputation.  It  was  quite  apparent  that  even  Alder 
man  Van  Beverout  had  penetrated  farther  into  the 
mysteries  of  the  beautiful  brigantine,  than  he  had 
ever  before  been.  But  it  wai  Ludlow  who  gathered 
most  from  this  brief  opportunity,  and  whose  under 
standing  glaaces  so  rapidly  and  eagerly  ran  over  all 
that  a  seaman  could  wish  to  examine. 

An  admirable  neatness  reigned  in  every  part.  The 
planks  of  the  deck  resembled  the  work  of  the  cabinet 
maker,  rather  than  the  coarser  labor  which  is  gene 
rally  seen  in  such  a  place ;  and  the  same  excellence 
of  material,  and  exactness  in  the  finish,  were*  visible 
in  the  ceilings  of  the  light  bulwarks,  the  railings, 
and  all  the  other  objects  which  necessarily  came 
conspicuously  into  view,  in  the  construction  of  such 
a  fabric.  Brass  was  tastefully  rather  than  lavishly 
used,  on  many  of  those  parts  where  metal  was  neces 
sary  ;  and  the  paint  of  the  interior  was  everywhere 
a  light  and  delicate  straw-color.  Armament  there 
was  none,  or  at  least  none  visible ;  nor  did  the  fifteen 
or  twenty  grave-looking  seamen,  who  were  silently 
lounging,  with  folded  arms,  about  the  vessel,  appear 
to  be  those  who  would  find  pleasure  in  scenes  of  vio 
lence.  They  were,  without  an  exception,  men  who 


184  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

had  reached  the  middle  age,  of  weather-worn  ana 
thoughtful  countenances,  many  of  them  even  show 
ing  heads  that  had  begun  to  be  grizzled  more  by  time 
than  even  by  exposure.  Thus  much  Ludlow  had 
been  enabled  to  ascertain,  ere  they  were  rejoined  by 
Tiller.  When  the  latter  again  came  on  deck,  he 
showed,  however,  no  desire  to  conceal  any  of  the 
perfections  of  his  habitation. 

"  The  wilful  sorceress  is  no  niggard  in  accommo 
dating  her  followers,"  said  the  mariner,  observing 
the  manner  in  which  the  Queen's  officer  was  em 
ployed.  "  Here,  you  see,  the  Skimmer  keeps  room 
enough  for  an  admiral,  in  his  cabins ;  and  the  fellows 
are  berthed  aft,  far  beyond  the  foremast ; — wilt  step 
to  the  hatch,  and  look  below?" 

The  captain  and  his  companions  did  as  desired, 
and  to  the  amazement  of  the  former,  he  perceived 
that,  with  the  exception  of  a  sort  of  room  fitted  with 
large  and  water-tight  lockers,  which  were  placed  in 
full  view,  all  the  rest  of  the  brigantine  was  occupied 
by  the  accommodations  of  her  officers  and  crew. 

"  The  world  gives  us  the  reputation  of  free-traders," 
continued  Tiller,  smiling  maliciously  ;  "  but  if  the 
Admiralty-Court  were  here,  big  wigs  and  high  staffs, 
judge  and  jury,  it  would  be  at  a  loss  to  bring  us  to 
conviction.  There  is  iron  to  keep  the  lady  on  her 
feet,  and  water,  with  some  garnish  of  Jamaica,  and 
the  wines  of  old  Spain  and  the  islands,  to  cheer  the 
hearts  and  cool  the  mouths  of  my  fellows,  her  eath 
that  deck ;  and  more  than  that,  there  is  not.  We 
have  stores  for  the  table  and  the  breeze,  beyond  yon 
bulk-head ;  and  here  are  lockers  beneath  you,  that 
are — empty !  See,  one  is  open ;  it  is  neat  as  any 
drawer  in  a  lady's  bureau.  This  is  no  place  for  your 
Dutchman's  strong  waters,  or  the  coarse  skins  of  your 
tobacconist.  Odd's  my  life !  He  who  would  go  on 
the  scent  of  the  Watei -Witch's  lading,  must  follow 
your  beauty  in  her  satins,  or  your  parson  in  his  baud 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  185 

and  gown.  There  would  be  much  lamentation  in 
the  church,  and  many  a  heavy-hearted  bishop,  were 
it  known  that  the  good  craft  had  come  to  harm ! " 

'*  There  must  be  an  end  to  this  audacious  trifling 
with  the  law,"  said  Ludlow ;  "  and  the  time  may  be 
nearer  than  you  suppose." 

"  I  look  at  the  pages  of  the  lady's  book,  in  the 
pride  of  each  morning ;  for  we  have  it  aboard  here, 
that  when  she  intends  to  serve  us  foul,  she  will  at 
least  be  honest  enough  to  give  a  warning.  The 
mottoes  often  change,  but  her  words  are  ever  true. 
'Tis  hard  to  overtake  the  driving  mist,  Captain  Lud 
low,  and  he  must  hold  good  way  with  the  wind  itself, 
who  wishes  to  stay  long  in  our  company." 

"  Many  a  boastful  sailor  has  been  caught.  The 
breeze  that  is  good  for  the  light  of  draught,  and  the 
breeze  that  is  good  for  the  deep  keel,  are  different. 
You  may  live  to  learn  what  a  stout  spar,  a  wide 
arm,  and  a  steady  hull,  can  do." 

"  The  lady  of  the  wild  eye  and  wicked  smile  pro 
tect  me !  I  have  seen  the  witch  buried  fathoms  deep 
in  brine,  and  the  glittering  water  falling  from  her 
tresses  like  golden  stars ;  but  never  have  I  read  an 
untruth  in  her  pages.  There  is  good  intelligence 
between  her  and  some  on  board ;  and,  trust  me,  she 
knows  the  paths  of  the  ocean  too  well,  ever  to  steer 
a  wrong  course.  But  we  prate  like  gossiping  river- 
men. — Wilt  see  the  Skimmer  of  the  Seas  ? " 

"  Such  is  the  object  of  our  visit,"  returned  Lud 
low,  whose  heart  beat  violently  at  the  name  of  the 
redoubtable  rover.  "  If  you  are  not  he,  bring  us 
where  he  is." 

"  Speak  lower ;  if  the  lady  under  the  bowspri 
hear  such  treason  against  her  favorite,  I'll  not  an 
swer  for  her  good- will.  If  I  am  not  he !"  added  the 
hero  of  the  India-shawl,  laughing  freely.  "  Well, 
an  ocean  is  bigger  than  a  sea,  and  a  bay  is  not  a 
gulf.  You  shall  have  an  opportunity  of  judging  be- 


186  THE    WATER- WITCH 

tween  us,  noble  captain,  and  then  I  leave  opinions  to 
each  man's  wisdom.     Follow." 

He  quitted  the  hatchway,  and  led  his  compan 
ions  toward  the  accommodations  in  the  stern  of  the 
vessel. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

"  God  save  you,  Sir!" 

"  And  you,  Sir ;  you  are  welcome. 

"  Travel  you,  Sir,  or  are  you  at  the  furthest?" 

TAMING  or  THE  SHREW. 

IF  the  exterior  of  the  brigantine  was  so  graceful 
in  form  and  so  singular  in  arrangement,  the  interior 
was  still  more  worthy  of  observation.  There  were 
two  small  cabins  beneath  the  main-deck,  one  on  each 
side  of,  and  immediately  adjoining,  the  limited  space 
that  was  destined  to  receive  her  light  but  valuable 
cargoes.  It  was  into  one  of  these  that  Tiller  haa 
descended,  like  a  man  who  freely  entered  into  his 
own  apartment ;  but  partly  above,  and  nearer  to  the 
stern,  were  a  suite  of  little  rooms  that  were  fitted 
and  furnished  in  a  style  altogether  different.  The 
equipments  were  those  of  a  yacht,  rather  than  those 
which  might  be  supposed  suited  to  the  pleasures  of 
even  the  most  successful  dealer  in  contraband. 

The  principal  deck  had  been  sunken  several  feet, 
commencing  at  the  aftermost  bulk-head  of  the  cabins 
of  the  subordinate  officers,  in  a  manner  to  give  the 
ecessary  height,  without  interfering  with  the  line 
of  the  brigantihe's  shear.  The  arrangement  was 
consequently  not  to  be  seen,  by  an  observer  who 
was  not  admitted  into  the  vessel  itself.  A  descent 
of  a  step  or  two,  however,  brought  the  visiters  tc  the 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  187 

level  of  the  cabin-floor  and  into  an  ante-room  that 
was  evidently  fitted  for  the  convenience  of  the  do 
mestics.  A  small  silver  hand-bell  lay  on  a  table,  and 
Tiller  rung  it  lightly,  like  one  whose  ordinary  man 
ner  was  restrained  by  respect.  It  was  answered  by 
the  appearance  of  a  boy,  whose  years  could  not  ex 
ceed  ten,  and  whose  attire  was  so  whimsical  as  to 
merit  description. 

The  material  of  the  dress  of  this  young  servitor  of 
Neptune,  was  a  light  rose-colored  silk,  cut  in  a  fash 
ion  to  resemble  the  habits  formerly  worn  by  pages 
of  the  great.  His  body  was  belted  by  a  band  of 
gold,  a  collar  of  fine  thread  lace  floated  on  his  neck 
and  shoulders,  and  even  his  feet  were  clad  in  a  sort 
of  buskins,  that  were  ornamented  with  fringes  of 
real  lace  and  tassels  of  bullion.  The  form  and  fea 
tures  of  the  child  were  delicate,  and  his  air  as  un 
like  as  possible  to  the  coarse  and  brusque  manner  of 
a  vulgar  ship-boy 

"Waste  and  prodigality!"  muttered  the  Alder 
man,  when  this  extraordinary  little  usher  presented 
himself,  in  answer  to  the  summons  of  Tiller.  "  This 
is  the  very  wantonness  of  cheap  goods  and  an  unfet 
tered  commerce !  There  is  enough  of  Mechlin,  Pa- 
troon,  on  the  shoulders  of  that  urchin,  to  deck  the 
stomacher  of  the  Queen.  'Fore  George,  goods  were 
cheap  in  the  market,  when  the  young  scoundrel  had 
his  livery ! " 

The  surprise  was  not  confined,  however,  to  the  ob 
servant  and  frugal  burgher.  Ludlow  and  Van  Staats 
of  Kinderhook  manifested  equal  amazement,  though 
their  wonder  was  exhibited  in  a  less  characteristic 
manner.  The  former  turned  short  to  demand  the 
meaning  of  this  masquerade,  when  he  perceived  that 
the  hero  of  the  India-shawl  had  disappeared.  They 
were  then  alone  with  the  fantastic  page,  and  it  be 
came  necessary  to  trust  to  his  intelligence  for  direc  • 
tions  how  to  proceed. 


188  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

"  "Who  art  thou,  child  ? — and  who  has  sent  thec 
hither?"  demanded  Ludlow.  The  boy  raised  a  cap 
of  the  same  rose-colored  silk,  and  pointed  to  an  im 
age  of  a  female,  with  a  swarthy  face  and  a  malign 
smile,  painted,  with  exceeding  art,  on  its  front. 

"  I  serve  the  sea-green  lady,  with  the  others  of  the 
brigantine." 

"  And  who  is  this  lady  of  the  color  of  shallow  wa 
ter,  and  whence  come  you,  in  particular?" 

"  This  is  her  likeness — if  you  would  speak  with 
her,  she  stands  on  the  cut-water,  and  rarely  refuses 
an  answer." 

"  'Tis  odd  that  a  form  of  wood  should  have  the 
gift  of  speech!" 

"Dost  think  her  then  of  wood?"  returned  the 
child,  looking  timidly,  and  yet  curiously,  up  into  the 
face  of  Ludlow.  "  Others  have  said  the  same ;  but 
those  who  know  best,  deny  it.  She  does  not  answer 
with  a  tongue,  but  the  book  has  always  something  to 
say." 

"  Here  is  a  grievous  deception  practised  on  the  su 
perstition  of  this  boy  !  I  have  read  the  book,  and  can 
make  but  little  of  its  meaning." 

"  Then  read  again.  'Tis  by  many  reaches  that 
the  leeward  vessel  gains  upon  the  wind.  My  master 
has  bid  me  bring  you  in " 

"  Hold — Thou  hast  both  master  and  mistress  ?— - 
You  have  told  us  of  the  latter,  but  we  would  know 
something  of  the  former.  Who  is  thy  master?" 

The  boy  smiled  and  looked  aside,  as  if  he  hesi 
tated  to  answer. 

"  Nay,  refuse  not  to  reply.  I  come  with  the  au 
thority  of  the  Queen." 

"  He  tells  us  that  the  sea-green  lady  is  our  Queen, 
and  that  we  have  no  other." 

"Rashness  and  rebellion!"  muttered  Myndert; 
"  but  this  foolhardiness  will  one  day  bring  as  pretty 
a  brigantine  as  ever  sailed  in  the  narrow  seas,  to 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  189 

***t  temnation  ;  and  then  will  there  be  rumors  abroad^ 
JJL«^  characters  cracked,  till  every  lover  of  gossip  in 
th*  Americas  shall  be  tired  of  defamation." 

"  It  is  a  bold  subject,  that  dares  say  this!"  re 
join  Q,d  Ludlow,  who  heeded  not  the  by-play  of  the 
Alderman;  "Your  master  has  a  name?" 

'•  We  never  hear  it.  When  Neptune  boards  us, 
und(  r  the  tropics,  he  always  hails  the  '  Skimmer  of 
the  Seas/  and  then  they  answer.  The  old  God 
knovs  us  well,  for  we  pass  his  latitude  oftener  than 
othei  ships,  they  say." 

"  You  are  then  a  cruiser  of  some  service,  in  the 
brigantine — no  doubt  you  have  trod  many  distant 
shores,  belonging  to  so  swift  a  craft." 

"  I ! — I  never  was  on  the  land  !"  returned  the  boy, 
thoughtfully.  "  It  must  be  droll  to  be  there ;  they 
say,  one  can  hardly  walk,  it  is  so  steady !  I  put  a 
question  to  the  sea-green  lady  before  we  came  to 
this  narrow  inlet,  to  know  when  I  was  to  go  ashore." 

"  And  she  answered  ?" 

"It  was  some  time,  first.  Two  watches  were 
past  before  a  word  was  to  be  seen ;  but  at  last  I  got 
the  lines.  I  believe  she  mocked  me,  though  I  have 
never  dared  show  it  to  my  master,  that  he  might 
say." 

"  Hast  the  words,  here  ? — perhaps  we  might  assist 
thee,  as  there  are  some  among  us  who  know  most  of 
the  sea-paths." 

The  boy  looked  timidly  and  suspiciously  around, 
and  thrusting  a  hand  hurriedly  into  a  pocket,  he 
drew  forth  two  bits  of  paper,  each  of  which  con 
tained  a  scrawl,  and  both  of  which  had  evidently 
been  much  thumbed  and  studied. 

"  Here,"  he  said,  in  a  voice  that  was  suppressed 
nearly  to  a  whisper.  "  This  was  on  the  first  page.  I 
was  so  frightened,  lest  the  lady  should  be  angiy.  that 
I  did  not  look  again  till  the  next  watch ;  and  then," 
turning  the  leaf,  "  I  found  this." 


.90  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

Ludlow  took  the  bit  of  paper  first  offered 
•  ead,  written  in  a  child's  hand,  the  following  extract : 

"  I  pray  thee 

Remember,  I  have  done  thee  worthy  service ; 
Told  thee  no  lies,  made  no  mistakings,  serv'd 
Without  or  grudge  or  grumblings." 

"  I  thought  that  'twas  in  me  ckery,"  continued  the 
boy,  when  he  saw  by  the  eye  of  the  young  captain 
that  he  had  read  the  quotation;  'for  'twas  very 
like,  though  more  prettily  worded,  than  that  which 
I  had  said,  myself!" 

"  And  that -was  the  second  answer?" 
"  This  was  found  in  the  fin  it  morning- watch,"  the 
child  returned,  reading  the  second  extract  himself : 

"  Thou  think'st 

It  much  to  tread  the  ooze  of  the  salt  deep, 
And  run  upon  the  sharp  wind  of  the  north !" 

"  I  never  dared  to  ask  again.  But  what  matters 
that?  They  say,  the  ground  is  rough  and  difficult 
to  walk  on ;  that  earthquakes  shake  it,  and  make 
holes  to  swallow  cities ;  that  men  slay  each  other  on 
the  highways  for  money,  and  that  the  houses  I  see 
on  the  hills  must  always  remain  in  the  same  spot.  It 
must  be  very  melancholy  to  live  always  in  the  same 
spot ;  but  then  it  must  be  odd,  never  to  feel  a  mo 
tion!" 

"  Except  the  occasional  rocking  of  an  earthquake. 
Thou  art  better  afloat,  child ; — but  thy  master,  this 
Skimmer  of  the  Seas " 

"  — Hist !"  whispered  the  boy,  raising  a  finger  for 
silence.  "  He  has  come  up  into  the  great  cabin.  In 
a  moment,  we  shall  have  his  signal  to  enter." 

"  A  few  light  touches  on  the  strings  of  a  guitar 
followed,  and   then  a  symphony  was  rapidly   and 
beautifully  executed,  by  one  in  the  adjoining  apart 
tnent. 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  191 

"  Alida,  herself,  is  not  more  nimble-fingered," 
whispered  the  Alderman ;  "  and  I  never  heard  the 
girl  touch  the  Dutch  lute,  that  cost  a  hundred  Hol 
land  guilders,  with  a  livelier  movement!" 

Ludlow  signed  for  silence.  A  fine,  manly  voice, 
)f  great  richness  and  depth,  was  soon  heard,  singing 
to  an  accompaniment  on  the  same  instrument.  The 
ir  was  grave,  and  altogether  unusual  for  the  social 
character  of  one  who  dwelt  upon  the  ocean,  being 
chiefly  in  recitative.  The  words,  as  near  as  might 
be  distinguished,  ran  as  follows : 

My  brigantine ! 

Just  in  thy  mould,  and  beauteous  in  thy  form, 
Gentle  in  roll,  and  buoyant  on  the  surge, 
Light  as  the  sea-fowl,  rocking  in  the  storm, 
In  breeze  and  gale,  thy  onward  course  we  urge ; 

My  Water-Queen ! 

Lady  of  mine ! 

More  light  and  swift  than  thou,  none  thread  the  sea, 
With  surer  keel,  or  steadier  on  its  path ; 
We  brave  each  waste  of  ocean-mystery, 
And  laugh  to  hear  the  howling  tempest's  wrath ! 

For  we  are  thine  ! 

My  brigantine ! 

Trust  to  the  mystic  power  that  points  thy  way, 
Trust  to  the  eye  that  pierces  from  afar, 
Trust  the  red  meteors  that  around  thee  play, 
And  fearless  trust  the  sea-green  lady's  star ; 

Thou  bark  divine ! 

"  He  often  sings  thus,"  whispered  the  boy,  when 
the  song  was  ended ;  "  for  they  say,  the  sea-green 
ady  loves  music  that  tells  of  the  ocean,  and  of  her 
power. — Hark !  he  has  bid  me  enter." 

"  He  did  but  touch  the  strings  of  the  guitar,  again, 


192  THE   WATER- WITCH. 

"  'Tis  his  signal,  when  the  weather  is  fair.  Whea 
we  have  the  whistling  of  the  wind,  and  the  roar  of 
the  water,  then  he  has  a  louder  call." 

Ludlow  would  have  gladly  listened  longer;  but 
the  boy  opened  a  door,  and,  pointing  the  way  to 
those  he  conducted,  he  silently  vanished  himself,  be 
hind  a  curtain. 

The  visiters,  more  particularly  the  young  com 
mander  of  the  Coquette,  found  new  subjects  of  admi 
ration  and  wonder,  on  entering  the  main  cabin  of 
the  brigantine.  The  apartment,  considering  the  size 
of  the  vessel,  was  spacious  and  high.  It  received 
light  from  a  couple  of  windows  in  the  stern,  and  it 
was  evident  that  two  smaller  rooms,  one  on  each  of 
the  quarters,  shared  with  it  in  this  advantage.  The 
space  between  these  state-rooms,  as  they  are  called 
in  nautical  language,  necessarily  formed  a  deep  al 
cove,  which  might  be  separated  from  the  outer  por 
tion  of  the  cabin,  by  a  curtain  of  crimson  damask, 
that  now  hung  in  festoons  from  a  beam  fashioned 
into  a  gilded  cornice.  A  luxuriously -looking  pile  of 
cushions,  covered  with  red  morocco,  lay  along  the 
transom,  in  the  manner  of  an  eastern  divan ;  and 
against  the  bulk-head  of  each  state-room,  stood  an 
agrippina  of  mahogany,  that  was  lined  with  the 
same  material.  JVeat  and  tasteful  cases  for  books 
were  suspended,  here  and  there;  and  the  guitar 
which  had  so  lately  been  used,  lay  on  a  small  table 
of  some  precious  wood,  that  occupied  the  centre  oi 
the  alcove.  There  were  also  other  implements,  like 
those  which  occupy  the  leisure  of  a  cultivated  but 
perhaps  an  effeminate  rather  than  a  vigorous  mind, 
scattered  around,  some  evidently  long  neglected,  and 
otheis  appearing  to  have  been  more  recently  in 
favor. 

The  outer  portion  of  the  cabin  was  furnished  in  a 
similar  style,  though  it  contained  many  more  of  the 
articles  that  ordinarily  belong  to  domestic  economy 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  193 

It  had  its  agrippina,  its  piles  of  cushions,  its  chairs  of 
beautiful  wood,  its  cases  for  books,  and  its  neglected 
instruments,  intermixed  with  fixtures  of  a  more  solid 
and  permanent  appearance,  which  were  arranged  to 
meet  the  violent  motion  that  was  often  unavoidable 
in  so  small  a  bark.  There  was  a  slight  hanging  of 
crimson  damask  around  the  whole  apartment ;  and, 
here  and  there,  a  small  mirror  was  let  into  the  bulk 
heads  and  ceilings.  All  the  other  parts  were  of  a 
rich  mahogany,  relieved  by  panels  of  rose-wood,  thai 
gave  an  appearance  of  exquisite  finish  to  the  cabin. 
The  floor  was  covered  with  a  mat  of  the  finest  tex 
ture,  and  of  a  fragrance  that  announced  both  its  fresh 
ness,  and  the  fact  that  the  grass  had  been  the  growth 
of  a  warm  and  luxuriant  climate.  The  place,  as  was 
indeed  the  whole  vessel,  so  far  as  the  keen  eye  of 
Ludlow  could  detect,  was  entirely  destitute  of  arms, 
not  even  a  pistol,  or  a  sword,  being  suspended  in 
those  places  where  weapons  of  that  description  are 
usually  seen,  in  all  vessels  employed  either  in  war 
or  in  a  trade  that  might  oblige  those  who  sail  them 
to  deal  in  violence. 

In  the  centre  of  the  alcove  stood  the  youthful- 
looking  and  extraordinary  person  who,  in  so  uncere 
monious  a  manner,  had  visited  la  Cour  des  Fees  the 
preceding  night.  His  dress  was  much  the  same,  in 
fashion  and  material,  as  when  last  seen ;  still,  it  had 
been  changed ;  for  on  the  breast  of  the  silken  frock 
was  painted  an  image  of  the  sea-green  lady,  done 
with  exquisite  skill,  and  in  a  manner  to  preserve  the 
whole  of  the  wild  and  unearthly  character  of  the 
expression.  The  wearer  of  this  singular  ornament 
leaned  lightly  against  the  little  table,  and  as  he  bow 
ed  with  entire  self-possession  to  his  guests,  his  face 
was  lighted  with  a  smile,  that  seemed  to  betray  mel 
ancholy,  no  less  than  courtesy.  At  the  same  time  he 
raised  his  cap,  and  stood  in  the  rich  jet-black  locks 
R 


194  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

with  which  Nature  had  so  exuberantly  shaded  his 
forehead. 

The  manner  of  the  visiters  was  less  easy.  The 
deep  anxiety  with  which  both  Ludlow  and  "the  Pa- 
troon  had  undertaken  to  board  the  notorious  smuggler 
had  given  place  to  an  amazement  and  a  curiosity 
that  caused  them  nearly  to  forget  their  errand :  while 
Alderman  Van  Beverout  appeared  shy  and  suspicious, 
manifestly  thinking  less  of  his  niece,  than  of  the  con 
sequences  of  so  remarkable  an  interview.  They  all 
returned  the  salutation  of  their  host,  though  each 
waited  for  him  to  speak. 

"  They  tell  me  I  have  the  pleasure  to  receive  a 
commander  of  Queen  Anne's  service,  the  wealthy 
and  honorable  Patroon  of  Kinderhook,  and  a  most 
worthy  and  respectable  member  of  the  city  corpora 
tion,  known  as  Alderman  Van  Beverout,"  commenced 
the  individual  who  did  the  honors  of  the  vessel  on 
this  occasion.  "  It  is  not  often  that  my  poor  brigan- 
tine  is  thus  favored,  and,  in  the  name  of  my  mistress, 
I  would  express  our  thanks." 

As  he  ceased  speaking,  he  bowed  again  with  cere 
monious  gravity,  as  if  all  were  equally  strangers  to 
him  ;  though  the  young  men  saw  plainly  that  a 
smothered  smile  played  about  a  mouth  that  even 
they  could  not  refuse  the  praise  of  being  of  rare  and 
extraordinary  attraction. 

"  As  we  have  but  one  mistress,"  said  Ludlow,  "  it 
is  our  common  duty  to  wish  to  do  her  pleasure." 

•*  I  understand  you,  Sir.  It  is  scarce  necessary  to 
say,  however,  that  the  wife  of  George  of  Denmark 
has  little  authority  here.  Forbear,  I  pray  you,"  he 
added  quickly,  observing  that  Ludlow  was  about  to 
answer.  "  These  interviews  with  the  servants  of  that 
lady  are  not  un frequent ;  and  as  I  know  other  mat 
ters  have  sent  you  hither,  we  will  imagine  all  said 
that  a  vigilant  officer  and  a  most  loyal  subject  could 
utter,  to  an  outlaw  and  a  trifler  with  the  regulations 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  195 

of  the  customs.  That  controversy  must  be  settled 
between  us  under  our  canvas,  and  by  virtue  of  our 
speed,  or  other  professional  qualities,  at  proper  time 
and  in  a  proper  place.  We  will  now  touch  on  dif 
ferent  matters." 

"  I  think  the  gentleman  is  right,  Patroon.  When 
matters  are  ripe  for  the  Exchequer,  there  is  no  use 
in  worrying  the  lungs  with  summing  up  the  testimony 
like  a  fee'd  advocate.  Twelve  discreet  men,  who 
have  bowels  of  compassion  for  the  vicissitudes  of 
trade,  and  who  know  how  hard  it  is  to  earn,  and  how 
easy  it  is  to  spend,  will  deal  with  the  subject  better 
than  all  the  idle  talkers  in  the  Provinces." 

"  When  confronted  to  the  twelve  disinterested  Dan 
iels,  I  shall  be  fain  to  submit  to  their  judgment,"  re 
joined  the  other,  still  suffering  the  wilful  smile  to 
linger  round  his  lips.  "  You,  Sir,  I  think,  are  called 
Mr.  Myndert  Van  Beverout. — To  what  fall  in  peltry, 
or  what  rise  in  markets,  do  I  owe  the  honor  of  this 
risit?" 

"  It  is  said  that  some  from  this  vessel  were  so  bold 
as  to  land  on  my  grounds,  during  the  past  night, 
without  the  knowledge  and  consent  of  their  owner — 
vou  will  observe  the  purport  of  our  discourse,  Mr. 
Van  Staa^s,  for  it  may  yet  come  before  the  authori 
ties — as  I  said,  Sir,  without  their  owner's  knowledge, 
and  that  there  were  dealings  in  articles  that  are 
contraband  of  law,  unless  they  enter  the  provinces 
purified  and  embellished  by  the  air  of  the  Queen's 
European  dominions — God  bless  Her  Majesty!" 

"  Amen. — That  which  quitteth  the  Water-Witch 
commonly  comes  purified  by  the  air  of  many  different 
regions.  We  are  no  laggards  in  movement,  here ; 
and  the  winds  of  Europe  scarcely  cease  to  blow  upon 
our  sails,  before  we  scent  the  gales  of  America.  But 
this  is  rather  Exchequer  matter,  to  be  discussed 
before  the  twelve  merciful  burghers,  than  entertain 
ment  for  such  a  visit." 


196  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

"  I  open  with  the  facts,  that  there  may  be  n« 
errors.  But  in  addition  to  so  foul  an  imputation  on 
the  credit  of  a  merchant,  there  has  a  great  calamity 
befallen  me  and  my  household,  during  the  past  night 
The  daughter  and  heiress  ff  old  Etienne  de  Barberie 
has  left  her  abode,  and  we  have  reason  to  think  that 
she  has  been  deluded  so  far  as  to  come  hither.  Faith 
and  correspondence!  Master  Seadrift;  but  I  think 
this  is  exceeding  the  compass  of  even  a  trader  in 
contraband !  I  can  make  allowances  for  some  errors 
in  an  account ;  but  women  can  be  exported  and 
imported  without  duty,  and  when  and  where  one 
pleases,  and  therefore  the  less  necessity  for  running 
them  out  of  their  old  uncle's  ha  bitation,  in  so  secret 
a  manner." 

"  An  undeniable  position,  and  a  feeling  conclusion ! 
I  admit  the  demand  to  be  made  in  all  form,  and  I 
suppose  these  two  gentlemen  are  to  be  considered  as 
witnesses  of  its  legality." 

"  We  have  come  to  aid  a  wronged  and  distressed 
relative  and  guardian,  in  searching  for  his  misguided 
ward,"  Ludlow  answered. 

The  free-trader  turned  his  eyes  on  the  Patroon, 
who  signified  his  assent  by  a  silent  bow. 

"  'Tis  well,  gentlemen  ;  I  also  admit  the  testimony 
But  though  in  common  believed  so  worthy  a  sub 
ject  for  justice,  I  have  hitherto  had  but  little  direct 
communication  with  the  blind  deity.  Do  the  author 
ities  usually  give  credit  to  these  charges,  without 
ome  evidence  of  their  truth?" 

"Is  it  denied?" 

"  You  are  still  in  possession  of  your  senses,  Captair 
Ludlow  and  may  freely  use  them.  But  this  is  an 
artifice  to  divert  pursuit.  There  are  other  vessel 
beside  the  brigantine,  and  a  capricious  fair  may  have 
sought  a  protector,  even  under  a  pennant  of  Queen 
Anne!" 

"  This  is  a  truth  tha  t  has  been  but  too  obvious  t«i 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  197 

my  mind,  Mr.  Van  Beverout,"  observed  the  senten 
tious  Patroon.  "  It  would  have  been  well  to  have 
ascertained  whether  she  we  seek  has  not  taken  some 
less  exceptionable  course  than  this,  before  we  hastily 
believe  that  your  niece  would  so  easily  become  the 
wife  of  a  stranger." 

"  Has  Mr.  Van  Staats  any  hidden  meaning  in  hia 
words,  that  he  speaks  ambiguously?"  demanded 
Ludlow. 

"  A  man,  conscious  of  his  good  intentions,  has  little 
occasion  to  speak  equivocally.  I  believe,  with  this 
reputed  smuggler,  that  la  belle  Barberie  would  be 
more  likely  to  fly  with  one  she  has  long  known,  and 
whom  I  fear  she  has  but  too  well  esteemed,  than 
with  an  utter  stranger,  over  whose  life  there  is  cast 
a  shade  of  so  dark  mystery." 

"  If  the  impression  that  the  lady  could  yield  her 
esteem  with  too  little  discretion,  be  any  excuse  for 
suspicions,  then  may  I  advise  a  search  in  the  manor 
of  Kinderhook!" 

"  Consent  and  joy  !  The  girl  need  not  have  stolen 
to  church  to  become  the  bride  of  OlofF  Van  Staats ! " 
interrupted  the  Alderman.  "  She  should  have  had 
my  benediction  on  the  match,  and  a  fat  gift  to  give 
it  unction." 

"  These  suspicions  are  but  natural,  between  men 
bent  on  the  same  object,"  resumed  the  free-trader. 
"  The  officer  of  the  Queen  thinks  a  glance  of  the 
eye,  from  a  wilful  fair,  means  admiration  of  broad 
lands  and  rich  meadows ;  and  the  lord  of  the  manor 
distrusts  the  romance  of  warlike  service,  and  the 
power  of  an  imagination  which  roams  the  sea.  Still 
may  I  ask,  what  is  there  here,  to  tempt  a  proud  and 
courted  beauty  to  forget  station,  sex,  and  friends?" 

"  Caprice  and  vanity  !  There  is  no  answering  for 

a  woman's  mind !  Here  we  bring  articles,  at  great 

risk  arid  heavy  charges,  from  the  farther  Indies,  to 

please  their  fancies,  and  they  change  their  modes 

R2 


198  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

easier  than  the  beaver  casts  his  coat.  Their  con 
ceits  sadly  unsettle  trade,  and  I  know  not  why  they 
may  not  cause  a  wilful  girl  to  do  any  other  act  of 
folly." 

"  This  reasoning  seems  conclusive  with  the  uncle. 
Do  the  suitors  assent  to  its  justice?" 

The  Patroon  of  Kinderhook  had  stood  gazing>  long 
and  earnestly,  at  the  countenance  of  the  extra 
ordinary  being  who  asked  this  question.  A  move 
ment,  which  bespoke,  equally,  his  conviction  and  his 
regret,  escaped  him,  but  he  continued  silent.  Not  so 
Ludlow.  Of  a  more  ardent  temperament,  though 
equally  sensible  of  the  temptation  which  had  caused 
Aiida  to  err,  and  as  keenly  alive  to  all  the  conse 
quences  to  herself,  as  well  as  to  others,  there  was 
something  of  professional  rivalry,  and  of  an  official 
right  to  investigate,  which  still  mingled  with  his 
feelings.  He  had  found  time  to  examine  more  closely 
the  articles  that  the  cabin  contained,  and  when  their 
singular  host  put  his  question,  he  pointed,  with  an 
ironical  but  mournful  smile,  to  a  footstool  richly 
wrought  in  flowers  of  tints  and  shades  so  just  as  to 
seem  natural. 

"This  is  no  work  of  a  sail-maker's  needle!"  said 
the  captain  of  the  Coquette.  "  Other  beauties  have 
been  induced  to  pass  an  idle  hour  in  your  gay  resi 
dence,  hardy  mariner ;  but,  sooner  or  later,  judgment 
will  overtake  the  light-heeled  craft." 

"  On  the  wind,  or  off,  she  must  some  day  lag,  as 
we  seamen  have  it !  Captain  Ludlow,  I  excuse  some 
harshness  of  construction,  that  your  language  might 
imply ;  for  it  becomes  a  commissioned  servant  of  the 
crown,  to  use  freedom  with  one  who,  like  the  lawless 
companion  of  the  princely  Hal,  is  but  too  apt  to 
propose  to  « rob  me  the  King's  Exchequer.'  But,  Sir, 
this  brigantine  and  her  character  are  little  known  to 
you.  We  have  no  need  of  truant  damsels,  to  let  us 
into  the  mystery  of  the  sex's  taste;  for  a  female 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  19d 

spirit  guides  all  our  humors,  and  imparts  something 
of  her  delicacy  to  all  our  acts,  even  though  it  be 
the  fashion  among  burghers  to  call  them  lawless. 
See,"  throwing  a  curtain  carelessly  aside,  and  ex 
hibiting,  behind  it,  various  articles  of  womanly  em 
ployment,  "  here  are  the  offspring  of  both  pencil  and 
needle.  The  sorceress,"  touching  the  image  on  his 
breast,  "  will  not  be  entertained,  without  some  defer 
ence  to  her  sex." 

"  This  affair  must  be  arranged,  I  see,  by  a  com 
promise,"  observed  the  Alderman.  "  By  your  leave, 
gentlemen,  I  will  make  proposals  in  private  to  this 
bold  trader,  who  perhaps  will  listen  to  the  offers  I 
have  to  propose." 

"Ah!  This  savors  more  of  the  spirit  of  trade 
than  of  that  of  the  sea-goddess  I  serve,"  cried  the 
other,  causing  his  fingers  to  run  lightly  over  the 
strings  of  the  guitar.  "  Compromise  and  offers  are 
sounds  that  become  a  burgher's  lips.  My  tricksy 
spirit,  commit  these  gentlemen  to  the  care  of  bold 
Thomas  Tiller,  while  I  confer  with  the  merchant. 
The  character  of  Mr.  Van  Beverout,  Captain  Lud- 
low,  will  protect  us  both  from  the  suspicion  of  any 
designs  on  the  revenue!" 

Laughing  at  his  own  allusion,  the  free-trader 
signed  to  the  boy,  who  had  appeared  from  behind  a 
curtain,  to  show  the  disappointed  suitors  of  la  belle 
Barberie  into  another  part  of  the  vessel. 

"  Foul  tongues  and  calumnies !  Master  Seadrift, 
this  unlawful  manner  of  playing  round  business,  after 
accounts  are  settled  and  receipts  passed,  may  lead 
to  other  loss  besides  that  of  character.  The  com 
mander  of  the  Coquette  is  not  more  than  half  satis 
fied  of  my  ignorance  of  your  misdoings  in  behalf  of 
the  customs,  already ;  and  these  jokes  are  like  so 
many  punches  into  a  smouldering  fire,  on  a  dark 
night.  They  only  give  light,  and  cause  people  to  see 
the  clearer : — though,  Heaven  knows,  no  man  ha* 


200  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

less  reason  to  dread  an  inquiry  into  his  affairs 
myself!  I  challenge  the  best  accountant  in  the  colo 
nies  to  detect  a  false  footing,  or  a  doubtful  entry,  in 
any  book  I  have,  from  the  Memorandum  to  the 
Leger." 

"  The  Proverbs  are  not  more  sententious,  nor  the 
Psalms  half  as  poetical,  as  your  library.  But  why 
this  secret  parley  ? — The  brigantine  has  a  swept 
hold." 

"  Swept !  Brooms  and  Van  Tromp !  Thou  hast 
swept  the  pavilion  of  my  niece  of  its  mistress,  no  less 
than  my  purse  of  its  Johannes.  This  is  carrying  a 
little  innocent  barter  into  a  most  forbidden  commerce, 
and  I  hope  the  joke  is  to  end,  before  the  affair  gets 
to  be  sweetening  to  the  tea  of  the  Province  gossips. 
Such  a  tale  would  affect  the  autumn  importation  of 
sugars ! " 

"  This  is  more  vivid  than  clear.  You  have  my 
laces  and  velvets ;  my  brocades  and  satins  are  already 
in  the  hands  of  the  Manhattan  dames;  and  your  fms 
and  Johannes  are  safe  where  no  boarding  officer  from 
the  Coquette " 

"  Well,  there  is  no  need  of  speaking-trumpets,  to 
tell  a  man  what  he  knows  already,  to  his  cost!  I 
should  expect  no  less  than  bankruptcy  from  two  or 
three  such  bargains,  and  you  wish  to  add  loss  of 
character  to  loss  of  gold.  Bulk-heads  have  ears  in 
a  ship,  as  well  as  walls  in  houses.  I  wish  no  more 
said  of  the  trifling  traffic  that  has  been  between  us. 
If  I  lose  a  thousand  florins  by  the  operation,  I  shall 
know  how  to  be  resigned.  Patience  and  afflictions  I 
Have  I  not  buried  as  full-fed  and  promising  a  gelding 
this  morning,  as  ever  paced  a  pavement,  and  has  any 
man  heard  a  complaint  from  my  lips?  I  know  how 
to  meet  losses,  I  hope ;  and  so  no  more  of  an  unlucky 
purchase." 

"  Truly,  if  i'  be  not  for  trade,  there  is  little  in 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  201 

fcommon  "between  the  mariners  of  the  brigantine  and 
Alderman  Van  Beverout." 

"  The  greater  the  necessity  thou  shouldst  end  this 
silly  joke,  and  restore  his  niece.  I  am  not  sure  the 
affair  can  be  at  all  settled  with  either  of  these  hot 
headed  young  men,  though  1  should  even  offer  to 
throw  in  a  few  thousands  more,  by  way  of  make 
weight.  When  female  reputation  gets  a  bad  name 
in  the  market,  'tis  harder  to  dispose  of  than  falling 
stock ;  and  your  young  lords  of  manors  and  com 
manders  of  cruisers  have  stomachs  like  usurers ;  no 
per  centage  will  satisfy  them ;  it  must  be  all,  or  no 
thing  !  There  was  no  such  foolery  in  the  days  of  thy 
worthy  father !  The  honest  trafficker  brought  his 
cutter  into  port,  with  as  innocent  a  look  as  a  mill- 
boat.  We  had  our  discourses  on  the  qualities  of  his 
wares,  when  here  was  his  price,  and  there  was  my 
gold.  Odd  or  even  !  It  was  all  a  chance  which  had 
the  best  of  the  bargain.  I  was  a  thriving  man  in 
those  days,  Master  Seadrift ;  but  thy  spirit  seems  the 
spirit  of  extortion  itself!" 

There  was  momentarily  contempt  on  the  lip  of 
the  handsome  smuggler,  but  it  disappeared  in  an  ex 
pression  of  evident  and  painful  sadness. 

"  Thou  hast  softened  my  heart,  ere  now,  most 
liberal  burgher,"  he  answered,  "  by  these  allusions 
to  my  parent ;  and  many  is  the  doubloon  that  I  have 
paid  for  his  eulogies." 

"  I  speak  as  disinterestedly  as  a  parson  preaches ! 
What  is  a  trifle  of  gold  between  friends  ?  Yes,  there 
was  happiness  in  trade  during  the  time  of  thy  prede 
cessor.  He  had  a  comely  and  a  deceptive  craft, 
that  might  be  likened  to  an  untrimmed  racer.  There 
was  motion  in  it,  at  need,  and  yet  it  had  the  air  o, 
a  leisurely  Amsterdammer.  I  have  known  an  Ex 
chequer  cruiser  hail  him,  and  ask  the  news  of  the 
famous  free-trader,  with  as  little  suspicion  as  he 
would  have  in  speaking  tho  Lord  High  Admiral  , 


202  THE    WATER-WITCH 

There  were  no  fooleries  in  his  time ;  no  unseemly 
hussies  stuck  under  his  bowsprit,  to  put  an  honest 
man  out  of  countenance ;  no  high-fliers  in  sail  and 
paint ;  no  singing  and  luting — but  all  was  rational  and 
gainful  barter.  Then,  he  was  a  man  to  ballast  his 
boat  with  something  valuable.  I  have  known  him 
throw  in  fifty  ankers  of  gin,  without  a  farthing  for 
freight,  when  a  bargain  has  been  struck  for  the  finer 
articles — ay,  and  finish  by  landing  them  in  England, 
for  a  small  premium,  when  the  gift  was  made  I" 

"  He  deserves  thy  praise,  grateful  Alderman ;  but 
to  what  conclusion  does  this  opening  tend  ? " 

"  Well,  if  more  gold  must  pass  between  us,"  con 
tinued  the  reluctant  Myndert,  "  we  shall  not  waste 
time  in  counting  it ;  though,  Heaven  knows,  Master 
Seadrift,  thou  hast  already  drained  me  dry.  Losses 
have  fallen  heavy  on  me,  of  late.  There  is  a  gelding, 
dead,  that  fifty  Holland  ducats  will  not  replace  on 
the  boom-key  of  Rotterdam,  to  say  nothing  of  freight 
and  charges,  which  come  particularly  heavy " 

"  Speak  to  thy  offer  !"  interrupted  the  other,  who 
evidently  wished  to  shorten  the  interview. 

"  Restore  the  girl,  and  take  five-and-twenty  thin 
pieces." 

"  Half-price  for  a  Flemish  gelding!  La  Belle  would 
blush,  with  honest  pride,  did  she  know  her  value  in 
the  market!" 

"  Extortion  and  bowels  of  compassion  !  Let  it  be 
a  hundred,  and  no  further  words  between  us." 

"  Harkee,  Mr.  Van  Beverout ;  that  I  sometimes 
trespass  on  the  Queen's  earnings,  is  not  to  be  denied, 
and  least  of  all  to  you  ;  for  I  like  neither  this  manner 
of  ruling  a  nation  by  deputy,  nor  the  principle  which 
says  that  one  bit  of  earth  is  to  make  laws  for  another 
'Tis  not  my  humor,  Sir,  to  wear  an  English  cotton 
when  my  taste  is  for  the  Florentine ;  nor  to  swallow 
beer,  w  hen  I  more  relish  the  delicate  wines  of  Gas- 
cony  Beyond  this,  thou  knowest  I  do  not  trifle^ 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  203 

*»ven  with  fancied  rights ;  and  had  I  fifty  of  thy 
nieces,  sacks  of  ducats  should  not  purchase  one  !" 

The  Alderman  stared,  in  a  manner  that  might 
have  induced  a  spectator  to  believe  he  was  listen 
ing  to  an  incomprehensible  proposition.  Still  his 
companion  spoke  with  a  warmth  that  gave  him  no 
small  reason  to  believe  he  uttered  no  more  than  he 
felt,  and,  inexplicable  as  it  might  prove,  that  he 
valued  treasure  less  than  feeling. 

"  Obstinacy  and  extravagance  ! "  muttered  Myn- 
dert ;  "  what  use  can  a  troublesome  girl  be  to  one  of 
thy  habits  1  If  thou  hast  deluded " 

"  I  have  deluded  none.  The  brigantine  is  not  an 
Algerine,  to  ask  and  take  ransom." 

"  Then  let  it  submit  to  what  I  believe  it  is  yet  a 
stranger.  If  thou  hast  not  enticed  my  niece  away,  by, 
Heaven  knows,  a  most  vain  delusion  !  let  the  vessel  be 
searched.  This  will  make  the  minds  of  the  young 
men  tranquil,  and  keep  the  treaty  open  between  us, 
and  the  value  of  the  article  fixed  in  the  market." 

"  Freely  : — but  mark  !  If  certain  bales  containing 
worthless  furs  of  martens  and  beavers,  with  other 
articles  of  thy  colony  trade,  should  discover  the  char 
acter  of  my  correspondents,  I  stand  exonerated  of  all 
breach  of  faith." 

"  There  is  prudence  in  that. — Yes,  there  must  be 
no  impertinent  eyes  peeping  into  bales  and  packages. 
Well,  I  see,  Master  Seadrift,  the  impossibility  of  im 
mediately  coming  to  an  understanding ;  and  there 
fore  I  will  quit  thy  vessel,  for  truly  a  merchant  of  re 
putation  should  have  no  unnecessary  connexion  with 
one  so  suspected." 

The  free-trader  smiled,  partly  in  scorn  and  yet 
much  in  sadness,  and  passed  his  fingers  over  the 
strings  of  the  guitar. 

"Show  this  worthy  burgher  to  his  friends,  Zephyr," 
he  said ;  and,  bowing  to  the  Alderman,  he  dismissed 
him  in  a  manner  that  betrayed  a  singular  compound 


204  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

of  feeling.  One  quick  to  discover  the  traces  of  hu 
man  passion,  might  have  fancied,  that  regret,  and 
even  sorrow,  were  powerfully  blended  with  the  natu 
ral  or  assumed  recklessness  of  the  smuggler's  air  and 
language. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

"  This  will  prove  a  brave  kingdom  to  me ; 
Where  I  shall  have  my  music,  for  nothing  " 

TEMPEST. 

DURING  the  time  past  in  the  secret  conference  o* 
the  cabin,  Ludlow  and  the  Patroon  were  held  in  dis 
course  on  the  quarter-deck,  by  the  hero  of  the  India- 
shawl.  The  dialogue  was  professional,  as  Van  Staats 
maintained  his  ancient  reputation  for  taciturnity. 
The  appearance  of  My ndert,  thoughtful, disappointed, 
and  most  evidently  perplexed,  caused  the  ideas  of  all 
to  take  a  new  direction.  It  is  probable  that  the 
burgher  believed  he  had  not  yet  bid  enough  to 
tempt  the  free-trader  to  restore  his  niece ;  for,  by 
his  air,  it  was  apparent  his  mind  was  far  from  being 
satisfied  that  she  was  not  in  the  vessel.  Still,  when 
questioned  by  his  companions  concerning  the  result 
of  his  interview  with  the  free-trader,  for  reasons  best 
understood  by  himself,  he  was  fain  to  answer  eva 
sively. 

"  Of  one  thing  rest  satisfied,"  he  said  ;  "  the  mis 
conception  in  this  affair  will  yet  be  explained,  and 
Alida  Barberie  return  unfettered,  and  with  a  char 
acter  as  free  from  blemish  as  the  credit  of  the  Van 
Stoppers  of  Holland.  The  fanciful-looking  person  in 
the  cabin  denies  that  my  niece  is  here,  and  I  am  in 
clined  t  >  think  the  balance  of  truth  is  on  his 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  205 

I  confess,  if  one  could  just  look  into  the  cabins,  with 
out  the  trouble  of  rummaging  lockers  and  cargo,  the 
statement  would  give  more  satisfaction;  but — hem — 
gentlemen,  we  must  take  the  assertion  on  credit,  for 
want  of  more  sufficient  security. 

Ludlow  looked  at  the  cloud  above  the  mouth  of 
the  Raritan,  and  his  lip  curled  in  a  haughty  smile. 

"  Let  the  wind  hold  here,  at  east,"  he  said,  "  and 
we  shall  act  our  pleasure,  with  both  lockers  and 
cabins." 

"  Hist !  the  worthy  Master  Tiller  may  overhear 
this  threat — and,  after  all,  I  do  not  know  whether 
prudence  does  not  tell  us,  to  let  the  brigantine 
depart." 

"  Mr.  Alderman  Van  Beverout,"  rejoined  the  Cap 
tain,  whose  cheek  had  reddened  to  a  glow, "  my  duty 
must  not  be  gauged  by  your  affection  for  your  niece. 
Though  content  that  Alida  Barberie  should  quit  the 
country,  like  an  article  of  vulgar  commerce,  the 
commander  of  this  vessel  must  get  a  passport  of  Her 
Majesty's  cruiser,  ere  she  again  enter  the  high  sea." 

"  Wilt  say  as  much  to  the  sea-green  lady  ? "  asked 
the  mariner  of  the  shawl,  suddenly  appearing  at  his 
elbow. 

The  question  was  so  unexpected  and  so  strange, 
that  it  caused  an  involuntary  start ;  but,  recovering 
his  recollection  on  the  instant,  the  young  sailor 
haughtily  replied — 

"  Or  to  any  other  monster  thou  canst  conjure !" 

"We  will  take  you  at  the  word.  There  is  no 
more  certain  method  of  knowing  the  past  or  the 
future,  the  quarter  of  the  heavens  from  which  the 
winds  are  to  come,  or  the  season  of  the  hurricanes, 
than  by  putting  a  question  to  our  mistress.  She  who 
knows  so  much  of  hidden  matters,  may  tell  us  what 
you  wish  to  know.  We  will  have  her  called,  by  the 
usual  summons." 
'  Thus  saving,  the  warmer  of  the  shawl  gravely 

o 


206  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

quitted  his  guests,  and  descended  into  the  inferior 
cabins  of  the  vessel.  It  was  but  a  moment,  before 
there  arose  sounds  from  some  secret  though  not  dis 
tant  quarter  of  the  brigantine,  that  caused,  in  some 
measure,  both  surprise  and  pleasure  to  Ludlow  and 
the  Patroon.  Their  companion  had  his  motives  for 
being  insensible  to  either  of  these  emotions. 

After  a  short  and  rapid  symphony,  a  wind-instru 
ment  took  up  a  wild  strain,  while  a  human  voice  was 
again  heard  chanting  to  the  music,  words  which 
were  so  much  involved  by  the  composition  of  the  air, 
as  to  render  it  impossible  to  trace  more  than  that 
their  burthen  was  a  sort  of  mysterious  incantation  of 
some  ocean  deity. 

"Squeaking  and  flutes!"  grumbled  Myndert,  ere 
the  last  sounds  were  fairly  ended.  "  This  is  down 
right  heathenish ;  and  a  plain-dealing  man,  who  does 
business  above-board,  has  good  reason  to  wish  him 
self  honestly  at  church.  What  have  we  to  do  with 
land-witches,  or  water-witches,  or  any  other  witch 
craft,  that  we  stay  in  the  brigantine,  now  it  is  known 
that  my  niece  is  not  to  be  found  aboard  her;  and, 
moreover,  even  admitting  that  we  were  disposed  to 
traffic,  the  craft  has  nothing  in  her  that  a  man  of 
Manhattan  should  want.  The  deepest  bog  of  thy 
manor,  Patroon,  is  safer  ground  to  tread  on,  than  the 
deck  of  a  vessel  that  has  got  a  reputation  like  that 
of  this  craft." 

The  scenes  of  which  he  was  a  witness,  had  pro 
duced  a  powerful  effect  on  Van  Staats  of  Kinderhook. 
Of  a  slow  imagination  but  of  a  powerful  and  vast 
frame,  he  was  not  easily  excited,  either  to  indulge  in 
fanciful  images,  or  to  suffer  personal  apprehension. 
Only  a  few  years  had  passed  since  men,  who  in  other 
respects  were  enlightened,  firmly  believed  in  the  ex 
istence  of  supernatural  agencies  in  the  control  of  the 
affairs  of  this  life  ;  and  though  the  New-Netherland 
ers  had  escaped  the  infatuation  which  prevailed  so 


THE   WATER- WITCH.  207 

generally  in  the  religious  provinces  of  New-England, 
a  credulous  superstition,  of  a  less  active  quality,  pos 
sessed  the  minds  of  the  most  intelligent  of  the  Dutch 
colonists,  and  even  of  their  descendants  so  lately  as 
in  our  own  times.  The  art  of  divination  was  par 
ticularly  in  favor ;  and  it  rarely  happened,  that  any 
'nexplicable  event  affected  the  fortunes  or  comforts 
i>f  the  good  provincialists,  without  their  having  re 
course  to  some  one  of  the  more  renowned  fortune 
tellers  of  the  country,  for  an  explanation.  Men  of 
slow  faculties  love  strong  excitement,  because  they 
are  insensible  to  less  powerful  impulses,  as  men  of 
hard  heads  find  most  enjoyment  in  strong  liquors. 
The  Patroon  was  altogether  of  the  sluggish  cast ;  and 
to  him  there  was  consequently  a  secret,  but  deep 
pleasure,  in  his  present  situation. 

"  What  important  results  may  flow  from  this  ad 
venture,  we  know  not,  Mr.  Alderman  Van  Beverout," 
returned  Oloff  Van  Staats ;  "  and  I  confess  a  desire 
to  see  and  hear  more,  before  we  land.  This  '  Skim 
mer  of  the  Seas'  is  altogether  a  different  man  from 
what  our  rumors  in  the  city  have  reported ;  and,  by 
remaining,  we  may  set  public  opinion  nearer  to  the 
truth.  I  have  heard  my  late  venerable  aunt " 

"  Chimney-corners  and  traditions !  The  good  lady 
was  no  bad  customer  of  these  gentry,  Patroon;  and 
it  is  lucky  that  they  got  no  more  of  thy  inheritance, 
in  the  way  of  fees.  You  see  the  Lust  in  Rust  against 
the  mountain  there ;  well,  all  that  is  meant  for  the 
public  is  on  the  outside,  and  all  that  is  intended  for 
my  ^*vn  private  gratification  is  kept  within-doors. 
But  here  is  Captain  Ludlow,  who  has  matters  of  the 
Queen  on  his  hands,  and  the  gentleman  will  find  i 
disloyal  to  waste  the  moments  in  this  juggling." 

"I  confess  the  same  desire  to  witness  the  end," 
dryly  returned  the  commander  of  the  Coquette. 
"The  state  of  the  wind  prevents  any  immediate 
Change  in  the  positions  of  the  two  vessels;  and  why 


208  THE   WATER-WITCH. 

not  get  a  farther  insight  into  the  extraordinary  char 
acter  of  those  who  belong  to  the  brigantine?" 

"  Ay,  there  it  is!"  muttered  the  Alderman  be 
tween  his  teeth.  "  Your  insights  and  outsignts  lead 
to  all  the  troubles  of  life.  One  is  never  snug  with 
the  se  fantastics,  which  trifle  with  a  secret,  like  a  fly 
fluttering  round  a  candle,  until  his  wings  get  burnt." 

As  his  companions  seemed  resolved  to  stay,  how- 
ever,  there  remained  no  alternative  for  the  burgher, 
but  patience.  Although  apprehension  of  some  indis 
creet  exposure  was  certainly  the  feeling  uppermost 
in  his  mind,  he  was  not  entirely  without  some  of  the 
weakness  which  caused  Oloff  Van  Staats  to  listen 
and  to  gaze  with  so  much  obvious  interest  and  secret 
awe.  Even  Ludlow,  himself,  felt  more  affected  than 
he  would  have  willing  owned,  by  the  extraordinary 
situation  in  which  he  was  placed.  No  man  is  en 
tirely  insensible  lo  the  influence  of  sympathy,  let  it 
exert  its  power  in  what  manner  it  will.  Of  this  the 
young  sailor  was  the  more  conscious,  through  the 
effect  that  was  produced  on  himself,  by  the  grave 
exterior  and  attentive  manner  of  all  the  manners 
of  the  brigantine.  He  was  a  seaman  of  no  mean 
accomplishments ;  and,  among  other  attainments  that 
properly  distinguish  men  of  his  profession,  he  had 
learned  to  know  the  country  of  a  sailor,  by  those 
general  and  distinctive  marks  which  form  the  prin 
cipal  difference  between  men  whose  common  pursuit 
has  in  so  great  a  degree  created  a  common  charac 
ter.  Intelligence,  at  that  day,  was  confined  to  nar 
row  limits  among  those  who  dwelt  on  the  ocean. 
Even  the  officer  was  but  too  apt  to  be  one  of  rude 
and  boisterous  manners,  of  limited  acquirements 
and  of  deep  and  obstinate  prejudices.  No  wonder 
then,  that  the  common  man  was,  in  general,  igno 
rant  of  most  of  those  opinions  which  gradually  en 
lighten  society.  Ludlow  had  seen,  on  entering  the 
vessel,  that  her  crew  was  composed  of  men  of  dif 


THE   WATER-WITCH. 

ferent  countries.  Age  and  personal  character  seemed 
to  have  been  more  consulted,  in  their  selection,  than 
national  distinctions.  There  was  a  Finlander,  with 
a  credulous  and  oval  physiognomy,  sturdy  but  short 
frame,  and  a  light  vacant  eye ;  and  a  dark-skinned 
seaman  of  the  Mediterranean,  whose  classical  out 
line  of  feature  was  often  disturbed  by  uneasy  and 
sensitive  glances  at  the  horizon.  These  two  men  had 
come  and  placed  themselves  near  the  group  on  the 
quarter-deck,  when  the  last  music  was  heard ;  and 
Ludlow  had  ascribed  the  circumstance  to  a  sensibility 
to  melody,  when  the  child  Zephyr  stole  to  their  side, 
in  a  manner  to  show  that  more  was  meant  by  the 
movement  than  was  apparent  in  the  action  itself. 
The  appearance  of  Tiller,  who  invited  the  party  to 
re-enter  the  cabin,  explained  its  meaning,  by  show 
ing  that  these  men,  like  themselves,  had  business 
with  the  being,  who,  it  was  pretended,  had  so  great 
an  agency  in  controlling  the  fortunes  of  the  brigan- 
tine. 

The  party,  who  now  passed  into  the  little  ante 
room,  was  governed  by  very  different  sensations. 
The  curiosity  of  Ludlow  was  lively,  fearless,  and  a 
little  mingled  with  an  interest  that  might  be  termed 
professional ;  while  that  of  his  two  companions  was 
not  without  some  inward  reverence  for  the  myste 
rious  power  of  the  sorceress.  The  two  seamen  mani 
fested  dull  dependence,  while  the  boy  exhibited,  in 
his  ingenuous  and  half-terrified  countenance,  most 
unequivocally  the  influence  of  childish  awe.  The 
mariner  of  the  shawl  was  grave,  silent,  and,  what 
was  unusual  in  his  deportment,  respectful.  After 
a  moment's  delay,  the  door  of  the  inner  apartment 
was  opened  by  Seadrift  himself,  and  he  signed  for  the 
whole  to  enter. 

A  material  change  had  been  made  in  the  arrange 
ment  of  the  principal  cabin.  The  light  was  entirely 
excluded  from  the  stern,  and  the  crimson  curtain  *i  ** 
S3 


210  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

been  lowered  before  the  alcove.  A  small  window 
whose  effect  was  to  throw  a  dim  obscurity  withins 
had  been  opened  in  the  side.  The  objects  on  which 
its  light  fell  strongest,  received  a  soft  coloring  from 
the  hues  of  the  hangings. 

The  free-trader  received  his  guests  with  a  chas 
tened  air,  bowing  silently,  and  with  less  of  levity  in 
his  mien  than  in  the  former  interview.  Still  Lud- 
low  thought  there  lingered  a  forced  but  sad  smile 
about  his  handsome  mouth  ;  and  the  Patroon  gazed 
at  his  fine  features,  with  the  admiration  that  one 
might  feel  for  the  most  favored  of  those  who  were 
believed  to  administer  at  some  supernatural  shrine. 
The  feelings  of  the  Alderman  were  exhibited  only  by 
some  half-suppressed  murmurs  of  discontent,  that 
from  time  to  time  escaped  him,  notwithstanding  a 
certain  degree  of  reverence,  that  was  gradually  pre 
vailing  over  his  ill-concealed  dissatisfaction. 

"  They  tell  me,  you  would  speak  with  our  mis 
tress,"  said  the  principal  personage  of  the  vessel,  in 
a  subdued  voice.  "  There  are  others,  too,  it  would 
seem,  who  wish  to  seek  counsel  from  her  wisdom. 
It  is  now  many  months  since  we  have  had  direct 
converse  with  her,  though  the  book  is  ever  open  to 
all  applicants  for  knowledge.  You  have  nerves  for 
the  meeting  ?" 

"  Her  Majesty's  enemies  have  never  reproached 
me  with  their  want,"  returned  Ludlow,  smiling  in 
credulously.  "  Proceed  with  your  incantations,  that 
we  may  know." 

•'*  We  are  not  necromancers,  Sir,  but  faithful  mari 
ners,  who  do  their  mistress's  pleasure.  I  know  that 
you  are  sceptical ;  but  bolder  men  have  confessed 
their  mistakes,  with  less  testimony.  Hist!  we  are 
not  alone.  I  hear  the  opening  and  shutting  of  the 
brigantine's  trar  soms." 

The  speaker  then  fell  back  nearly  to  the  line  in 
which  the  others  had  arranged  themselves,  and  await 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  211 

ed  the  result  in  silence.  The  curtain  rose  to  a  low 
air  on  the  same  wind-instrument ;  and  even  Ludlow 
felt  an  emotion  more  powerful  than  interest,  as  he 
gazed  on  the  object  that  was  revealed  to  view. 

A  female  form,  attired,  as  near  as  might  be,  like 
the  figure-head  of  the  vessel,  and  standing  in  a  simi 
lar  attitude,  occupied  the  centre  of  the  alcove.  As 
Li  the  image,  one  hand  held  a  book  with  its  page 
turned  towards  the  spectators,  while  a  finger  of  the 
other  pointed  ahead,  as  if  giving  to  the  brigantine  its 
course.  The  sea-green  drapery  was  floating  behind, 
as  if  it  felt  the  influence  of  the  air ;  and  the  face  had 
the  same  dark  and  unearthly  hue,  with  its  malign 
and  remarkable  smile. 

When  the  start  and  the  first  gaze  of  astonishment 
were  over,  the  Alderman  and  his  companions  glanced 
their  eyes  at  each  other,  in  wonder.  The  smile  on 
the  look  of  the  free-trader  became  less  hidden,  and 
it  partook  of  triumph. 

"  If  any  here  has  aught  to  say  to  the  lady  of  our 
bark,  let  him  now  declare  it.  She  has  come  far,  at 
our  call,  and  will  not  tarry  long." 

"  I  would  then  know,"  said  Ludlow,  drawing  a 
heavy  breath,  like  one  recovering  from  some  sudden 
and  powerful  sensation,  "  if  she  I  seek  be  within  the 
brigantine  ?" 

He  who  acted  the  part  of  mediator  in  this  extra 
ordinary  ceremony,  bowed  and  advanced  to  the  book, 
which,  with  an  air  of  deep  reverence,  he  consulted, 
reading,  or  appearing  to  read,  from  its  pages. 

"  You  are  asked  here,  in  return  for  that  you  in 
quire,  if  she  you  seek  is  sought  in  sincerity?" 

Ludlow  reddened ;  the  manliness  of  the  professio 
to  which  he  belonged,  however,  overcame  the  re 
luctance  natural  to  self-esteem;  and  he  answered, 
firmly — 

"  She  is." 

"  But  you  are  a  mariner ;  men  of  the  sea  place 


212  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

their  affections,  often,  on  the  fabric  in  which  they 
dwell.  Is  the  attachment  for  her  you  seek,  stronger 
than  love  of  wandering,  of  your  ship  your  youthful 
expectations,  and  the  glory  that  forms  a  young  sol 
dier's  dreams  ? " 

The  commander  of  the  Coquette  hesitated.  Afte. 
a  moment  of  pause,  like  that  of  self-examination,  h 
said — 

"  As  much  so,  as  may  become  a  man." 

A  cloud  crossed  the  brow  of  his  interrogator,  who 
advanced  and  again  consulted  the  pages  of  the  book. 

"  You  are  required  to  say,  if  a  recent  event  has 
not  disturbed  your  confidence  in  her  you  seek?" 

"  Disturbed — but  not  destroyed." 

The  sea-green  lady  moved,  and  the  pages  of  the 
mysterious  volume  trembled,  as  if  eager  to  deliver 
their  oracles. 

"  And  could  you  repress  curiosity,  pride,  and  all 
the  other  sentiments  of  your  sex,  and  seek  her  favor, 
without  asking  explanation,  as  before  the  occurrence 
of  late  events  ? " 

"  I  would  do  much  to  gain  a  kind  look  from  Alida 
de  Barberie ;  but  the  degraded  spirit,  of  which  you 
speak,  would  render  me  unworthy  of  her  esteem. 
If  I  found  her  as  I  lost  her,  my  life  should  be  devoted 
to  her  happiness ;  and  if  not,  to  mourning  that  one 
so  fair  should  have  fallen  ! " 

"  Have  you  ever  felt  jealousy  ?" 

"First  let  me  know  if  I  have  cause?"  cried  the 
young  man,  advancing  a  step  towards  the  motionless 
form,  with  an  evident  intent  to  look  closer  into  its 
character. 

The  hand  of  the  mariner  of  the  shawl  arrested 
him,  with  the  strength  of  a  giant. 

"  None  trespass  on  the  respect  due  our  mistress," 
coolly  observed  the  vigorous  seaman,  while  he  mo 
tioned  to  the  other  to  retreat. 

A  fierce  glance  shot  from  his  eye ;  and  then  the 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  213 

recollection  of  his  present  helplessness  came,  in  sea 
son,  to  restrain  the  resentment  of  the  offended  officer. 

"  Have  you  ever  felt  jealousy  ?"  continued  his  un 
disturbed  interrogator. 

"  Would  any  love,  that  have  not  ? " 

A  gentle  respiration  was  heard  in  the  cabin,  durin 
the  short  pause  that  succeeded,  though  none  coul 
tell  whence  it  came.     The  Alderman  turned  to  re 
gard  the  Patroon,  as  if  he  believed  the  sigh  was  his; 
while  the  startled  Ludlow  looked  curiously  around 
him,  at  a  loss  to  know  who  acknowledged,  with  so 
much  sensibility,  the  truth  of  his  reply. 

"  Your  answers  are  well,"  resumed  the  free-trader, 
after  a  pause  longer  than  usual.  Then,  turning  to 
Oloff  Van  Staats,  he  said,  "  Whom,  or  what,  do  you 
seek?" 

"  We  come  on  a  common  errand." 

"  And  do  you  seek  in  all  sincerity  ?" 

"  I  could  wish  to  find." 

"You  are  rich  in  lands  and  houses;  is  she  you 
seek,  dear  to  you  as  this  wealth?" 

"  I  esteem  them  both,  since  one  could  not  wish  to 
tie  a  woman  he  admired  to  beggary." 

The  Alderman  hemmed  so  loud  as  to  fill  the  cabin, 
and  then,  startled  at  his  own  interruption,  he  invol 
untarily  bowed  an  apology  to  the  motionless  form  in 
the  alcove,  and  regained  his  composure. 

"There  is  more  of  prudence  than  of  ardor  in 
your  answer.  Have  you  ever  felt  jealousy  ?" 

"That  has  he!"  eagerly  exclaimed  Myndert 
"  I've  known  the  gentleman  raving  as  a  bear  that 
has  lost  its  cub,  when  my  niece  has  smiled,  in  church, 
for  instance,  though  it  were  only  in  answer  to  a  nod 
from  an  old  lady.  Philosophy  and  composure,  Pa 
troon  !  Who  the  devil  knows,  but  Alida  may  hear  of 
this  questioning? — and  then  her  French  blood  will 
boil,  to  find  that  your  love  has  always  gone  as  regu 
larly  as  a  town-clock." 


214  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

"Could  you  receive  her,  without  inquiring  into 
past  events?" 

"  That  would  he — that  would  he  ! "  returned  the 
Alderman.  "  I  answei  for  it,  that  Mr.  Van  Staats 
complies  with  all  engagements,  as  punctually  as  the 
best  house  in  Amsterdam,  itself." 

The  book  again  trembled,  but  it  was  with  a 
waving  and  dissatisfied  motion. 

'  What  is  thy  will  with  our  mistress?"  demanded 
the  free-trader,  of  the  fair-haired  sailor. 

"  I  have  bargained  with  some  of  the  dealers  of  my 
country,  for  a  wind  to  carry  the  brigantine  through 
the  inlet." 

"  Go.— The  Water- Witch  will  sail  when  there  is 
need; — and  you?" 

"  I  wish  to  know  whether  a  few  skins  I  bought 
last  night,  for  a  private  venture,  will  turn  to  good 
account?" 

"  Trust  the  sea-green  lady  for  your  profits.  When 
did  she  ever  let  any  fail,  in  a  bargain.  Child,  what 
has  brought  thee  hither?" 

The  boy  trembled,  and  a  little  time  elapsed  before 
he  found  resolution  to  answer. 

"  They  tell  me  it  is  so  queer  to  be  upon  the  land  !" 

"  Sirrah  !  thou  hast  been  answered.  WThen  others 
go,  thou  shalt  go  with  them." 

"  They  say  'tis  pleasant  to  taste  the  fruits  from  ofl 
the  very  trees " 

"  Thou  art  answered.  Gentlemen,  our  mistress 
departs.  She  knows  that  one  among  you  has  threat 
ened  her  favorite  brigantine  with  the  anger  of  an 
earthly  Queen ;  but  it  is  beneath  her  office  to  reply 
to  threats  so  idle.  Hark!  her  attendants  are  in 
waiting ! " 

The  wind-instrument  was  once  more  heard,  and 
the  curtain  slowly  fell  to  its  strains.  A  sudden  and 
violent  noise,  resembling  the  opening  and  shutting  of 
some  massive  door,  succeeded — and  then  all  was  still 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  215 

When  the  sorceress  had  disappeared,  the  free-trader 
resumed  his  former  ease  of  manner,  seeming  to  speak 
and  act  more  naturally.  Alderman  Van  Beverout 
drew  a  long  breath,  like  one  relieved ;  and  even  the 
mariner  of  the  gay  shawl  stood  in  an  easier  and  more 
reckless  attitude  than  while  in  her  presence.  The 
two  seamen  and  the  child  withdrew. 

"  Few  who  wear  that  livery  have  ever  before 
seen  the  lady  of  our  brigantine,"  continued  the  free 
trader,  addressing  himself  to  Ludlow ;  "  and  it  is 
proof  that  she  has  less  aversion  to  your  cruiser,  than 
she  in  common  feels  to  most  of  the  long  pennants 
that  are  abroad  on  the  water." 

"  Thy  mistress,  thy  vessel,  and  thyself,  are  alike 
amusing  !"  returned  the  young  seaman,  again  smiling 
incredulously,  and  with  some  little  official  pride.  "  It 
will  be  well,  if  you  maintain  this  pleasantry  much 
longer,  at  the  expense  of  Her  Majesty's  customs." 

"  We  trust  to  the  power  of  the  Water- Witch. 
She  has  adopted  our  brigantine  as  her  abode,  given 
it  her  name,  and  guides  it  with  her  hand.  'Twould 
be  weak  to  doubt,  when  thus  protected." 

"  There  may  be  occasion  to  try  her  virtues.  Were 
she  a  spirit  of  the  deep  waters,  her  robe  would  be 
blue.  Nothing  of  a  light  draught  can  escape  the 
Coquette!" 

"  Dost  not  know  that  the  color  of  the  sea  differs 
in  different  climes  1  We  fear  not,  but  you  would 
have  answers  to  your  questions.  Honest  Tiller  will 
carry  you  all  to  the  land,  and,  in  passing,  the  book 
may  again  be  consulted.  I  doubt  not  she  will  leave 
us  some  further  memorial  of  her  visit." 

The  free-trader  then  bowed,  and  retired  behind 
the  curtain,  with  the  air  of  a  sovereign  dismissing 
his  visiters  from  an  audience ;  though  his  eye  glanced 
curiously  behind  him,  as  he  disappeared,  as  if  to 
trace  the  effect  which  had  been  produced  by  the  in 
terview.  Alderman  Van  Beverout  and  his  friends 


216  THE   WATER- WITCH. 

were  in  the  boat  again,  before  a  syllable  was  ex 
changed  between  them.  They  had  followed  the 
mariner  of  the  shawl,  in  obedience  to  his  signal ;  and 
they  quitted  the  side  of  the  beautiful  brigantine, 
like  men  who  pondered  on  what  they  had  just  wit 
nessed. 

Enough  has  been  betrayed,  in  the  course  of  th 
narrative,  perhaps,  to  show  that  Ludlow  distrusted, 
though  he  could  not  avoid  wondering  at,  what  he 
had  seen.  He  was  not  entirely  free  from  the  super 
stition  that  was  then  so  common  among  seamen; 
but  his  education  and  native  good  sense  enabled 
him,  in  a  great  measure,  to  extricate  his  imagination 
from  that  love  of  the  marvellous,  which  is  more  or 
less  common  to  all.  He  had  fifty  conjectures  con 
cerning  the  meaning  of  what  had  passed,  and  not 
one  of  them  was  true;  though  each,  at  the  instant, 
seemed  to  appease  his  curiosity,  while  it  quickened 
his  resolution  to  pry  further  into  the  affair.  As  for 
the  Patroon  of  Kinderhook,  the  present  day  was  one 
of  rare  and  unequalled  pleasure.  He  had  all  the 
gratification  which  strong  excitement  can  produce 
in  slow  natures ;  and  he  neither  wished  a  solution  of 
his  doubts,  nor  contemplated  any  investigation  that 
might  destroy  so  agreeable  an  illusion.  His  fancy 
was  full  of  the  dark  countenance  of  the  sorceress; 
and  when  it  did  not  dwell  on  a  subject  so  unnatural, 
it  saw  the  handsome  features,  ambiguous  smile,  and 
attractive  air,  of  her  scarcely  less  admirable  min 
ister. 

As  the  boat  got  to  a  little  distance  from  the  ves 
sel,  Tiller  stood  erect,  and  ran  his  eye  complacently 
over  the  perfection  of  her  hull  and  rigging. 

"  Our  mistress  has  equipped  and  sent  upon  the 
wide  and  unbeaten  sea,  many  a  bark,"  he  said: 
"  but  never  a  lovelier  than  our  own  ! — Captain  Lud 
low,  there  has  been  some  double-dealing  between  us ; 
but  that  which  is  to  follow,  shall  depend  on  our  skill, 


THE    WATER- WITCH. 

ieamanship,  and  the  merits  of  the  two  crafts.  You 
serve  Queen  Anne,  and  I  the  sea-green  lady.  Let 
each  be  true  to  his  mistress,  and  Heaven  preserve 
the  deserving ! — Wilt  see  the  book,  before  we  make 
the  trial?" 

Ludlow  intimated  his  assent,  and  the  boat  ap 
proached  the  figure-head.    It  was  impossible  to  pre 
vent  the  feeling,  which  each  of  our  three  adven 
turers,  not  excepting  the  Alderman,  felt  when  they 
came  in  full  view  of  the  motionless  image.  The  mys 
terious  countenance  appeared  endowed  with  thought, 
and  the  malign  smile  seemed  still  more  ironical  than 
before. 

"  The  first  question  was  yours,  and  yours  must  be 
the  first  answer,"  said  Tiller,  motioning  for  Ludlow  to 
consult  the  page  which  was  open.  "  Our  mistress  deals 
chiefly  in  verses  from  the  old  writer,  whose  thoughts 
are  almost  as  common  to  us  all,  as  to  human  nature." 

"  What  means  this?"  said  Ludlow,  hastily — 

"  She,  Claudio,  that  you  wrong'd,  look,  you  rastore 

— love  her  Angelo; 
I  have  confess'd  her,  and  I  know  her  virtue. 

"  These  are  plain  words ;  but  I  would  rather  that 
another  priest  should  shrive  her  whom  I  love ! " 

"  Hist ! — Young  blood  is  swift  and  quickly  heated. 
Our  lady  of  the  bark  will  not  relish  hot  speech,  over 
her  oracles. — Come,  Master  Patroon,  turn  the  page 
with  the  rattan,  and  see  what  fortune  will  give." 

OlofF  Van  Staats  raised  his  powerful  arm,  witli 
the  hesitation,  and  yet  with  the  curiosity,  of  a  girl. 
It  was  easy  to  read  in  his  eye,  the  pleasure  his  heavy 
nature  felt  in  the  excitement;  and  yet  it  was  easy 
to  detect  the  misgivings  of  an  erroneous  education, 
by  the  seriousness  of  all  the  other  members  of  his 
countenance.  He  read  aloud — 

"  I  have  a  motion  much  imports  your  good ; 
Whereto,  if  you'll  a  willing  ear  incline, 

T 


218  THE   WATER- WITCH. 

What's  mine  is  yours,  and  what  is  yours  is  mine : — 
So  bring"  us  to  our  palace,  where  we'll  show, 
What's  yet  behind,  that's  meet  you  all  should  know." 

MEASURE  FOR  MEASURE. 

"Fair-dealing,  and  fairer  speech  !  'What's  your 
is  mine,  and  what  is  mine  is  yours,'  is  Measure  foi 
Measure,  truly,  Patroon  ! "  cried  the  Alderman.  "  A 
more  equitable  bargain  cannot  be  made,  when  the 
assets  are  of  equal  value.  Here  is  encouragement, 
in  good  sooth ;  and  now,  Master  Mariner,  we  will 
land  and  proceed  to  the  Lust  in  Rust,  which  must  be 
the  place  meant  in  the  verses.  'What's  yet  behind/ 
must  be  Alida,  the  tormenting  baggage !  who  has 
been  playing  hide-and-seek  with  us,  for  no  other 
reason  than  to  satisfy  her  womanish  vanity,  by  show 
ing  how  uncomfortable  she  could  make  three  grave 
and  responsible  men.  Let  the  boat  go,  Master  Tiller, 
since  that  is  thy  name;  and  many  thanks  for  thy 
civilities." 

"  Twould  give  grave  offence  to  leave  the  lady, 
without  knowing  all  she  has  to  say.  The  answer 
now  concerns  you,  worthy  Alderman ;  and  the  rattan 
will  do  its  turn,  in  your  hand,  as  well  as  in  that  of 
another." 

"  I  despise  a  pitiful  curiosity,  and  content  myself 
with  knowing  what  chance  and  good  luck  teach," 
returned  Myndert.  "  There  are  men  in  Manhattan 
ever  prying  into  their  neighbors'  credit,  like  frogs 
lying  with  their  noses  out  of  water ;  but  it  is  enough 
for  me  to  know  the  state  of  my  books,  with  some 
insight  into  that  of  the  market." 

"  It  will  not  do. — This  may  appease  a  quiet  con 
science,  like  your  own,  Sir;  but  we  of  the  brigantine 
may  not  trifle  with  our  mistress.  One  touch  of  the 
rattan  will  tell  you,  whether  these  visits  to  the  Water- 
Wlich  are  likely  to  prove  to  your  advantage." 

Myndert  wavered.  It  has  been  said,  that,  like 
most  others  of  his  origin  in  the  colony,  he  had  a  se« 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  219 

eret  leaning  to  the  art  of  divination :  and  the  words 
of  the  hero  of  the  shawl  contained  a  flattering  allu 
sion  to  the  profits  of  his  secret  commerce.  He  took 
the  offered  stick,  and,  by  the  time  the  page  was 
turned,  his  eyes  were  ready  enough  to  consult  its  con 
tents.  There  was  but  a  line,  which  was  also  quoted 
as  coming  from  the  well-known  comedy  of  *  Measure 
for  Measure.' 

"  Proclaim  it,  Provost,  round  about  the  city." 

In  his  eagerness  Myndert  read  the  oracle  aloud, 
and  then  he  sunk  into  his  seat,  affecting  to  laugh  at 
the  whole  as  a  childish  and  vain  conceit. 

"  Proclamation,  me,  no  proclamations !  Is  i't  a  time 
of  hostilities,  or  of  public  danger,  that  one  should  go 
shouting  with  his  tidings  through  the  streets  1  Mea 
sure  for  Measure,  truly  !  Harkee,  Master  Tiller,  this 
sea-green  trull  of  thine  is  no  better  than  she  should 
be ;  and  unless  she  mends  her  manner  of  dealing,  no 
honest  man  will  be  found  willing  to  be  seen  in  her 
company.  I  am  no  believer  in  necromancy — though 
the  inlet  has  certainly  opened  this  year,  altogether 
in  an  unusual  manner — and  therefore  I  put  little 
faith  in  her  words ;  but  as  for  saying  aught  of  me 
or  mine,  in  town  or  country,  Holland  or  America, 
that  can  shake  my  credit,  why  I  defy  her !  Still,  I 
would  not  willingly  have  any  idle  stories  to  contra 
dict  ;  and  I  shall  conclude  by  saying,  you  will  do  well 
to  stop  her  mouth." 

"  Stop  a  hurricane,  or  a  tornado !  Truth  will  come 
in  her  book,  and  he  that  reads  must  expect  to  see  it 
—Captain  Ludlow,  you  are  master  of  your  move 
ments,  again ;  for  the  inlet  is  no  longer  between  you 
and  your  cruiser.  Behind  yon  hillock  is  the  boat  and 
crew  you  missed.  The  latter  expect  you.  And  now, 
gentlemen,  we  leave  fie  rest  to  the  green  lady's 
guidan:,e,  our  own  good  skill,  and  the  winds!  I  salute 
you." 


220  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

The  moment  his  companions  were  on  the  shore, 
the  hero  of  the  shawl  caused  his  boat  to  quit  it ;  and 
in  less  than  five  minutes  it  was  seen  swinging,  by  its 
tackles,  at  the  stern  of  the  brigantine. 


CHAPTER  XVIL 

" like  Arion  on  the  dolphin's  back, 

I  saw  him  hold  acquaintance  with  the  waves, 
So  long  as  I  could  see/' 

TEMPEST. 

THERE  was  one  curious  though  half-confounded 
observer  of  all  that  passed  in  and  around  the  Cove, 
on  the  morning  in  question.  This  personage  was  no 
other  than  the  slave  called  Bonnie,  who  was  the 
factotum  of  his  master,  over  the  demesnes  of  the 
Lust  in  Rust,  during  the  time  when  the  presence  of 
the  Alderman  was  required  in  the  city ;  which  was, 
in  truth,  at  least  four-fifths  of  the  year.  Responsi 
bility  and  confidence  had  produced  their  effect  on 
this  negro,  as  on  more  cultivated  minds.  He  had 
been  used  to  act  in  situations  of  care;  and  practice 
had  produced  a  habit  of  vigilance  and  observation, 
that  was  not  common  in  men  of  his  unfortunate  con 
dition.  There  is  no  moral  truth  more  certain,  than 
that  men,  when  once  accustomed  to  this  species  of 
domination,  as  readily  submit  their  minds,  as  their 
bodies,  to  the  control  of  others.  Thus  it  is.  that  we 
see  entire  nations  maintaining  so  many  erroneous 
maxims,  merely  because  it  has  suited  the  interests  of 
those  who  do  the  thinking,  to  give  forth  these  fallacies 
to  their  followers.  Fortunately,  however,  for  the 
improvement  of  the  race  and  the  advancement  of 
truth,  it  is  only  necessary  to  give  a  man  an  oppor- 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  221 

tunity  to  exercise  his  natural  faculties,  in  order  to 
make  him  a  reflecting,  and,  in  some  degree,  an  inde 
pendent  being.  Such,  though  to  a  very  limited  ex 
tent,  certainly,  had  been  the  consequence,  in  the 
instance  of  the  slave  just  mentioned. 

How  far  Bonnie  had  been  concerned  in  the  pro 
ceedings  between  his  master  and  the  mariners  of  the 
brigantine,  it  is  unnecessary  to  say.  Little  passed  at 
the  villa,  of  which  he  was  ignorant ;  and  as  curiosity, 
once  awakened,  increases  its  own  desire  for  indul 
gence,  could  he  have  had  his  wish,  little  would  have 
passed  anywhere,  near  him,  without  his  knowing 
something  of  its  nature  and  import.  He  had  seen, 
while  seemingly  employed  with  his  hoe  in  the  garden 
of  the  Alderman,  the  trio  conveyed  by  Erasmus 
across  the  inlet ;  had  watched  the  manner  in  which 
they  followed  its  margin  to  the  shade  of  the  oak,  and 
had  seen  them  enter  the  brigantine,  as  related.  That 
this  extraordinary  visit  on  board  a  vessel  which  was 
in  common  shrouded  by  so  much  mystery,  had  given 
rise  to  much  and  unusual  reflection  in  the  mind  of 
the  black,  was  apparent  by  the  manner  in  which  he 
so  often  paused  in  his  labor,  and  stood  leaning  on  the 
handle  of  his  hoe,  like  one  who  mused.  He  had 
never  known  his  master  so  far  overstep  his  usual 
caution,  as  to  quit  the  dwelling,  during  the  occasional 
visits  of  the  free-trader ;  and  yet  he  had  now  gone 
as  it  were  into  the  very  jaws  of  the  lion,  accompanied 
by  the  commander  of  a  royal  cruiser  himself.  No 
wonder,  then,  that  the  vigilance  of  the  negro  became 
Etill  more  active,  and  that  not  even  the  slightest 
circumstance  was  suffered  to  escape  his  admiring 
eye.  During  the  whole  time  consumed  by  the  visit 
related  in  the  preceding  chapter,  not  a  minute  had 
been  suffered  to  pass,  without  an  inquiring  look  in 
the  direction,  either  of  the  brigantine,  or  of  the 
adjacent  shore. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  how  keen  the  atten- 
T2 


THE    WATER-WITCH. 

tion  of  the  slave  became,  when  his  master  and  hia 
companions  were  seen  to  return  to  the  land.  They 
immediately  ascended  to  the  foot  of  the  oak,  and 
theft  there  was  a  long  and  apparently  a  serious  con 
ference  between  them.  During  this  consultation,  the 
negro  dropped  the  end  of  his  hoe,  and  never  suffered 
his  gaze,  for  an  instant,  to  alter  its  direction.  Indeed 
he  scarcely  drew  breath,  until  the  whole  party  quitted 
the  spot  together,  and  buried  themselves  in  the  thicket 
that  covered  the  cape,  taking  the  direction  of  its 
outer  or  northern  extremity,  instead  of  retiring  by 
the  shore  of  the  Cove,  towards  the  inlet.  Then 
Bonnie  respired  heavily,  and  began  to  look  about 
him  at  the  other  objects  that  properly  belonged  to 
the  interest  of  the  scene. 

The  brigantine  had  run  up  her  boat,  and  she  now 
lay,  as  when  first  seen,  a  motionless,  beautiful,  and 
exquisitely  graceful  fabric,  without  the  smallest  sign 
about  her  of  an  intention  to  move,  or  indeed  without 
exhibiting  any  other  proof,  except  in  her  admirable 
order  and  symmetry,  that  any  of  human  powers 
dwelt  within  her  hull.  The  royal  cruiser,  though 
larger  and  of  far  less  aerial  mould  and  fashion,  pre 
sented  the  same  picture  of  repose.  The  distance  be 
tween  the  two  was  about  a  league ;  and  Bonnie  was 
sufficiently  familiar  with  the  formation  of  the  land 
and  of  the  position  of  the  vessels,  to  be  quite  aware 
that  this  inactivity  on  the  part  of  those  whose  duty 
it  was  to  protect  the  rights  of  the  Queen,  proceeded 
from  their  utter  ignorance  of  the  proximity  of  their 
neighbor.  The  thicket  which  bounded  the  Cove 
and  the  growth  of  oaks  and  pines  that  stretched 
along  the  narrow  sandy  spit  of  land  quite  to  its  ex 
tremity,  sufficiently  accounted  for  the  fact.  The 
negro,  therefore,  after  gazing  for  several  minutes  at 
the  two  immovable  vessels,  turned  his  eye  askance 
on  the  earth,  shook  his  head,  and  then  burst  into  a 
laugh,  which  was  so  noisy  that  it  caused  his  sable 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  223 

partner  to  thrust  her  vacant  and  circular  counte 
nance  through  an  open  window  of  the  scullery  of 
the  villa,  to  demand  the  reason  of  a  merriment  that 
to  her  faithful  feelings  appeared  to  be  a  little  un 
social. 

"  Hey !  you  alway'  keep  'e  queer  t'ing  to  heself, 
Bonnie,  but!"  cried  the  vixen.  "I'm  werry  glad  to 
gee  old  bones  like  a  hoe ;  an'  I  wonner  dere  ar'  time 
to  laugh,  wid  'e  garden  full  of  weed ! " 

"  Grach !"  exclaimed  the  negro,  stretching  out  an 
arm  in  a  forensic  attitude ;  "  what  a  black  woman 
know  of  politic !  If  a  hab  time  to  talk,  better  cook 
a  dinner.  Tell  one  t'ing,  Phyllis,  and  that  be  dis ; 
vy  'e  ship  of  Captain  Ludlow  no  HP  'e  anchor,  an* 
come  take  dis  rogue  in  'e  Cove  ?  can  a  tell  dat  much, 
or  no? — If  no,  let  a  man,  who  understan'  heself, 
laugh  much  as  he  like.  A  little  fun  no  harm  Queen 
Anne,  nor  kill  'e  Gubbenor  ! " 

"  All  work  and  no  sleep  make  old  bone  ache,  Bon 
nie,  but!"  returned  the  consort.  "Ten  o'clock — 
twelve  o'clock — free  o'clock,  and  no  bed ;  veil  I  see 
'e  sun  afore  a  black  fool  put  'e  head  on  a  pillow ! — 
An'  now  a  hoe  go  all  'e  same  as  if  he  sleep  a  ten 
hour.  Masser  Myn'ert  got  a  heart,  and  he  no  wish 
to  kill  he  people  wid  work,  or  old  Phyllis  war'  dead, 
fifty  year,  next  winter." 

"  I  t'ink  a  wench's  tongue  nebber  satisfy !  What 
for  tell  a  whole  world,  when  Bonnie  go  to  bed  1  He 
sleep  for  heself,  and  he  no  sleep  for  'e  neighbor 
hood  !  Dere !  A  man  can't  t'ink  of  ebery  t'ing,  in  a 
minute.  Here  a  ribbon  long  enough  to  hang  he- 
Belf — take  him,  and  den  remem'er,  Phyllis,  dat  you 
be  'e  wife  of  a  man  who  hab  care  on  he  shoul'er." 

Bonnie  then  set  up  another  laugh,  in  which  hi 
partner,  having  quitted  her  scullery  to  seize  the  gift, 
which  in  its  colors  resembled  the  skin  of  a  garter- 
snake,  did  riot  fail  to  join,  through  mere  excess  of 
animal  delight.  The  effect  of  the  gift,  however,  was 


224  THE    WATER-WITCH* 

to  leave  the  negro  to  make  his  observations,  without 
any  further  interruption  from  one  who  was  a  little 
too  apt  to  disturb  his  solitude. 

A  boat  was  now  seen  to  pull  out  from  among  the 
bushes  that  lined  the  shore ;  and  Bonnie  was  enabled 
to  distinguish,  in  its  stern-sheets,  the  persons  of  his 
master,  Ludlow,  and  the  Patroon.  He  had  been  ac 
quainted  with  the  seizure  of  the  Coquette's  barge, 
the  preceding  night,  and  of  the  confinement  of  the 
crew.  Its  appearance  in  that  place,  therefore,  occa 
sioned  no  new  surprise.  But  the  time  which  past 
while  the  men  were  rowing  up  to  the  sloop-of-war, 
was  filled  with  minutes  of  increasing  interest.  The 
black  abandoned  his  hoe,  and  took  a  position  on  the 
side  of  the  mountain,  that  gave  him  a  view  of  the 
whole  bay.  So  long  as  the  mysteries  of  the  Lust  in 
Rust  had  been  confined  to  the  ordinary  combinations 
of  a  secret  trade,  he  had  been  fully  able  to  compre 
hend  them ;  but  now  that  there  apparently  existed 
an  alliance  so  unnatural  as  one  between  his  master 
and  the  cruiser  of  the  crown,  he  felt  the  necessity 
of  double  observation  and  of  greater  thought. 

A  far  more  enlightened  mind  than  that  of  the  slave, 
might  have  been  excited  by  the  expectation,  and  the 
objects  which  now  presented  themselves,  especially 
if  sufficiently  prepared  for  events,  by  a  knowledge  of 
the  two  vessels  in  sight.  Though  the  wind  still  hung 
at  east,  the  cloud  above  the  mouth  of  the  Raritan 
had  at  length  begun  to  rise.  The  broad  fleeces  of 
white  vapor,  that  had  lain  the  whole  morning  over 
the  continent,  were  rapidly  uniting ;  and  they  formed 
already  a  dark  and  dense  mass,  that  floated  in  the 
bottom  of  the  estuary,  threatening  shortly  to  roll 
over  the  whole  of  its  wide  waters.  The  air  was 
getting  lighter,  and  variable ;  and  while  the  wash  of 
the  surf  sounded  still  more  audible,  its  roll  upon  the 
beach  was  less  regular  than  in  the  earlier  hours  of 
the  day.  Such  was  the  state  of  the  two  elements* 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  225 

when  the  hoat  touched  the  side  of  the  ship.  In  a 
minute  it  was  hanging  by  its  tackles,  high  in  the  air ; 
and  then  it  disappeared,  in  the  bosom  of  the  dark 
mass. 

It  far  exceeded  the  intelligence  of  Bonnie  to  de 
tect,  now,  any  further  signs  of  preparation,  in  either 
of  the  two  vessels,  which  absorbed  the  whole  of  his 
attention.  They  appeared  to  him  to  be  alike  with 
out  motion,  and  equally  without  people.  There  were, 
it  is  true,  a  few  specks  in  the  rigging  of  the  Coquette, 
which  might  be  men ;  but  the  distance  prevented 
him  from  being  sure  of  the  fact ;  and,  admitting  them 
to  be  seamen  busied  aloft,  there  were  no  visible  con 
sequences  of  their  presence,  that  his  uninstructed 
eye  could  trace.  In  a  minute  or  two,  even  these 
scattered  specks  were  seen  no  longer;  though  the 
attentive  black  thought  that  the  mast-heads  and  the 
rigging  beneath  the  tops  thickened,  as  if  surrounded 
by  more  than  their  usual  mazes  of  ropes.  At  that 
moment  of  suspense,  the  cloud  over  the  Raritan 
emitted  a  flash,  and  the  sound  of  distant  thunder 
rolled  along  the  water.  This  seemed  to  be  a  signal 
for  the  cruiser ;  for  when  the  eye  of  Bonnie,  which 
had  been  directed  to  the  heavens,  returned  towards 
the  ship,  he  saw  that  she  had  opened  and  hoisted  her 
three  topsails,  seemingly  with  as  little  exertion  as  an 
eagle  would  have  spread  his  wings.  The  ship  now 
became  uneasy ;  for  the  wind  came  in  puns,  and  the 
vessel  rolled  lightly,  as  if  struggling  to  extricate  it 
self  from  the  hold  of  its  anchor ;  and  then,  precisely 
at  the  moment  when  the  shift  of  wind  was  felt,  and 
the  breeze  came  from  the  cloud  in  the  west,  the 
cruiser  whirled  away  from  its  constrained  position 
and  appearing,  for  a  short  space,  restless  as  a  steed 
that  had  broken  from  its  fastenings,  it  came  up  hea 
vily  to  the  wind,  and  lay  balanced  by  the  action  of 
its  sails.  There  was  another,  minute,  or  two,  of  seem- 
»ig  inactivity,  after  which  the  broad  surfaces  of  the 


226  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

topsails  were  brought  in  parallel  lines.  One  whita 
sheet  was  spread  after  another,  upon  the  fabric ;  and 
Bonnie  saw  that  the  Coquette,  the  swiftest  cruiser 
of  the  crown  in  those  seas,  was  dashing  out  from  the 
land,  under  a  cloud  of  canvas. 

All  this  time,  the  brigantine,  in  the  Cove,  lay  qui 
etly  at  her  anchor.  When  the  wind  shifted,  the  light 
hull  swang  with  its  currents,  and  the  image  of  the 
sea-green  lady  was  seen  offering  her  dark  cheek  to 
be  fanned  by  the  breeze.  But  she  alone  seemed  to 
watch  over  the  fortunes  of  her  followers;  for  no 
other  eye  could  be  seen,  looking  out  on  the  danger 
that  began  so  seriously  to  threaten  them,  both  from 
the  heavens,  and  from  a  more  certain  and  intelligi 
ble  foe. 

As  the  wind  was  fresh,  though  unsteady,  the  Co 
quette  moved  through  the  water  with  a  velocity  that 
did  no  discredit  to  her  reputation  for  speed.  At  first, 
it  seemed  to  be  the  intention  of  the  royal  cruiser  to 
round  the  cape,  and  gain  an  offing  in  the  open  sea ; 
for  her  head  was  directed  northwardly;  but  no  sooner 
had  she  cleared  the  curve  of  the  little  bight  which 
from  its  shape  is  known  by  the  name  of  the  Horse- 
Shoe,  than  she  was  seen  shooting  directly  into  the 
eye  of  the  wind,  and  falling  off  with  the  graceful  and 
easy  motion  of  a  ship  in  stays,  her  head  looking  to 
wards  the  Lust  in  Rust.  Her  design  on  the  notorious 
dealer  in  contraband  was  now  too  evident  to  admit 
of  doubt. 

Still,  the  Water- Witch  betrayed  no  symptoms  of 
alarm.  The  meaning  eye  of  the  image  seemed  to 
study  the  motions  of  her  adversary,  with  all  the  un 
derstanding  of  an  intelligent  being ;  and  occasionally 
the  brigantine  turned  slightly  in  the  varying  currents 
of  the  air,  as  if  volition  directed  the  movements  of 
the  little  fabric.  These  changes  resembled  the  quick 
and  slight  mov  ?ments  of  the  hound,  as  he  lifts  his 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  227 

bead  in  his  lair,  to  listen  to  some  distant  sound,  or  to 
scent  some  passing  taint  in  the  gale. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  approach  of  the  ship  was 
so  swift  as  to  cause  the  negro  to  shake  his  head,  with 
a  meaning  that  exceeded  even  his  usually  important 
ook.  Every  thing  was  propitious  to  her  progress; 
nd,  as  the  water  of  the  Cove,  during  the  periods 
that  the  inlet  remained  open,  was  known  to  be  of  a 
sufficient  depth  to  admit  of  her  entrance,  the  faith 
ful  Bonnie  began  to  anticipate  a  severe  blow  to  the 
future  fortunes  of  his  master.  The  only  hope,  that 
ne  could  perceive,  for  the  escape  of  the  smuggler, 
was  in  the  changes  of  the  heavens. 

Although  the  threatening  cloud  had  now  quitted 
the  mouth  of  the  Raritan,  and  was  rolling  eastward 
with  fearful  velocity,  it  had  not  yet  broken.  The  air 
had  the  unnatural  and  heated  appearance  which  pre 
cedes  a  gust ;  but,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  large 
drops,  that  fell  seemingly  from  a  clear  sky,  it  was  as 
yet  what  is  called  a  dry  squall.  The  water  of  the 
bay  was  occasionally  dark,  angry,  and  green ;  and 
there  were  moments  when  it  would  appear  as  if 
heavy  currents  of  air  descended  to  its  surface,  wan 
tonly  to  try  their  power  on  the  sister  element.  Not 
withstanding  these  sinister  omens,  the  Coquette  stood 
on  her  course,  without  lessening  the  wide  surfaces  of 
her  canvas,  by  a  single  inch.  They  who  governed 
her  movements  were  no  men  of  the  lazy  Levant, 
nor  of  the  mild  waters  of  the  Mediterranean,  to  tear 
their  hair,  and  call  on  saints  to  stand  between  their 
helplessness  and  harm ;  but  mariners  trained  in  a 
boisterous  sea,  and  accustomed  to  place  their  first  de 
pendence  on  their  own  good  manhood,  aided  by  the 
vigilance  and  skill  of  a  long  and  severely-exercised 
experience.  A  hundred  eyes  on  board  that  cruiser 
watched  the  advance  of  the  rolling  cloud,  or  looked 
upon  the  play  of  light  and  shade,  that  caused  the 
color  of  the  water  to  vary ;  but  it  was  steadily,  and 


S28  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

with  an  entire  dependence  on  the  discretion  of  the 
young  officer  who  controlled  the  movements  of  the 
ship. 

Ludlow  himself  paced  the  deck,  with  all  his  usual 
composure,  so  far  as  might  be  seen  by  external  signs  ; 
though,  in  reality,  his  mind  was  agitated  by  feeling 
that  were  foreign  to  the  duties  of  his  station.  He 
too  had  thrown  occasional  glances  at  the  approach 
ing  squall,  but  his  eye  was  far  oftener  riveted  on  the 
motionless  brigantine,  which  was  now  distinctly  to  be 
seen  from  the  deck  of  the  Coquette,  still  riding  at  her 
anchor.  The  cry  of  «  a  stranger  in  the  cove  !'  which, 
a  few  moments  before,  came  out  of  one  of  the  tops, 
caused  no  surprise  in  the  commander ;  while  the 
crew,  wondering  but  obedient,  began,  for  the  first 
time,  to  perceive  the  object  of  their  strange  manoeu 
vres.  Even  the  officer,  next  in  authority  to  the  cap 
tain,  had  not  presumed  to  make  any  inquiry,  though, 
now  that  the  object  of  their  search  was  so  evidently 
in  view,  he  felt  emboldened  to  presume  on  his  rank, 
and  to  venture  a  remark. 

"  It  is  a  sweet  craft!"  said  the  staid  lieutenant, 
yielding  to  an  admiration  natural  to  his  habits,  "  and 
one  that  might  serve  as  a  yacht  for  the  Queen  ! 
This  is  some  trifler  with  the  revenue,  or  perhaps  a 
buccaneer  from  the  islands.  The  fellow  shows  no 
ensign ! " 

"  Give  him  notice,  Sir,  that  he  has  to  do  with  one 
who  bears  the  royal  commission,"  returned  Ludlow; 
speaking  from  habit,  and  half-unconscious  of  what 
he  said.  "  We  must  teach  these  rovers  to  respect  a 
pennant." 

The  report  of  the  cannon  startled  the  absent  man, 
and  caused  him  to  remember  the  order. 

"  Was  that  gun  shotted  ? "  he  asked,  in  a  tone  that 
tounded  like  rebuke. 

"  Shotted,  but  pointed  wide,  Sir ;  merely  a  broad 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  229 

nint.     We  are  no  dealers  in  dumb  show,  in  the  Co 
quette,  Captain  Ludlow." 

"  I  would  not  injure  the  vessel,  even  should  it  prove 
a  buccaneer.  Be  careful,  that  nothing  strikes  her, 
without  an  order." 

"  Ay,  'twill  be  well  to  take  the  beauty  alive,  Sir  ; 
so  pretty  a  boat  should  not  be  broken  up,  like  an  old 
hulk.  Ha  !  there  goes  his  bunting,  at  last !  He  shows 
a  white  field — can  the  fellow  be  a  Frenchman,  after 
all?" 

The  lieutenant  took  a  glass,  and  for  a  moment  ap 
plied  it  to  his  eye,  with  the  usual  steadiness.  Then 
he  suffered  the  instrument  to  fall,  and  it  would  seem 
that  he  endeavored  to  recall  the  different  flags  that 
he  had  seen  during  the  experience  of  many  years. 

"  This  joker  should  come  from  some  terra  incog 
nita  ;"  he  said.  "  Here  is  a  woman  in  his  field,  with 
an  ugly  countenance,  too,  unless  the  glass  play  me 
false — as  I  live,  the  rogue  has  her  counterpart  for  a 
figure-head! — Will  you  look  at  the  ladies,  Sir?" 

Ludlow  took  the  glass,  and  it  was  not  without 
curiosity  that  he  turned  it  toward  the  colors  the 
hardy  smuggler  dared  to  exhibit,  in  presence  of  a 
cruiser.  The  vessels  were,  by  this  time,  sufficiently 
near  each  other,  to  enable  him  to  distinguish  the 
swarthy  features  and  malign  smile  of  the  sea-green 
lady,  whose  form  was  wrought  in  the  field  of  the 
ensign,  with  the  same  art  as  that  which  he  had  seen 
so  often  displayed  in  other  parts  of  the  brigantine 
Amazed  at  the  daring  of  the  free-trader,  he  returned 
the  glass,  and  continued  to  pace  the  deck  in  silence. 
There  stood  near  the  two  speakers  an  officer  whose 
head  and  form  began  to  show  the  influence  of  time, 
and  who,  from  his  position,  had  unavoidably  been  an 
auditor  of  what  passed.  Though  the  eye  of  this 
person,  who  was  the  sailing-master  of  the  sloop,  was 
rarelv  off  the  threatening  cloud,  except  to  glance 


230  THE   WATER-WITCH. 

along  the  wide  show  of  canvas  that  was  spread,  he 
found  a  moment  to  take  a  look  at  the  stranger. 

"  A  half-rigged  brig,  with  her  fore-top-gallant- 
mast  fidded  abaft,  a  double  martingale,  and  a  stand 
ing  gaft;"  observed  the  methodical  and  technical 
mariner,  as  another  would  have  recounted  the  pe 
culiarities  of  complexion,  or  of  feature,  in  some  kh 
dividual  who  was  the  subject  of  a  personal  descrip 
tion.  "  The  rogue  has  no  need  of  showing  his  brazen 
faced  trull  to  be  known !  I  chased  him,  for  six-and- 
thirty  hours,  in  the  chops  of  St.  George's,  no  later 
than  the  last  season ;  and  the  fellow  ran  about  us, 
like  a  dolphin  playing  under  a  ship's  fore-foot.  We 
had  him,  now  on  our  weather  bow,  and  now  cross 
ing  our  course,  and,  once  in  a  while,  in  our  wake,  as 
if  he  had  been  a  Mother  Carey's  chicken  looking  for 
our  crumbs.  He  seems  snug  enough  in  that  cove,  to 
be  sure,  and  yet  I'll  wager  the  pay  of  any  month  in 
the  twelve,  that  he  gives  us  the  slip.  Captain  Lud- 
low,  the  brigantine  under  our  lee,  here,  in  Sperma 
ceti,  is  the  well-known  Skimmer  of  the  Seas!" 

"The  Fikimmer  of  the  Seas!"  echoed  twenty 
voices,  in  a  manner  to  show  the  interest  created  by 
the  unexpected  information. 

"  I'll  swear  to  his  character  before  any  Admiralty 
Judge  in  England,  or  even  in  France,  should  there 
be  occasion  to  go  into  an  outlandish  court — but  no 
need  of  an  oath,  when  here  is  a  written  account  I 
took,  with  my  own  hands,  having  the  chase  in  plain 
view,  at  noon-day."  While  speaking,  the  sailing- 
master  drew  a  tobacco-box  from  his  pocket,  and  re 
moving  a  coil  of  pig-tail,  he  came  to  a  deposit  of 
memorandums,  that  vied  with  the  weed  itself  in 
colors.  "  Now,  gentlemen,"  he  continued,  "  you  shall 
have  her  build,  as  justly  as  if  the  master-carpenter 
had  laid  it  down  with  his  rule.  '  Remember  to  bring 
a  muff  of  marten's  fur  from  America,  for  Mrs.  Try 
sail — buy  it  in  London,  and  swear' — this  is  not  the 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  231 

paper— I  let  your  boy,  Mr.  Luff,  stow  away  the  last 
entry  of  tobacco  for  me,  and  the  young  dog  has  dis 
turbed  every  document  I  own.  This  is  the  way  the 
government  accounts  get  jammed,  when  Parliament 
wants  to  overhaul  them.  But  I  suppose  young  blood 
will  have  its  run !  I  let  a  monkey  into  a  church  of  a 
Saturday  night  myself,  when  a  youngster,  and  he 
made  such  stowage  of  the  prayer-books,  that  the 
whole  parish  was  by  the  ears  for  six  months;  and 
there  is  one  quarrel  between  two  old  ladies,  that  has 
not  been  made  up  to  this  hour. — Ah  !  here  we  have 
it : — *  Skimmer  of  the  Seas. — Full-rigged  forward, 
with  fore-and-aft  mainsail,  abaft;  a  gaff-top-sail; 
taut  in  his  spars,  with  light  top-hamper ;  neat  in  his 
gear,  as  any  beauty — Carries  a  ring-tail  in  light 
weather;  main-boom  like  a  frigate's  top-sail-yard, 
with  a  main-top-mast-stay-sail  as  big  as  a  jib.  Low 
in  the  water,  with  a  woman  figure-head ;  carries 
sail  more  like  a  devil  than  a  human  being,  and  lies 
within  five  points,  when  jammed  up  hard  on  a  wind.' 
Here  are  marks  by  which  one  of  Queen  Anne's 
maids  of  honor  might  know  the  rogue;  and  there 
you  see  them  all,  as  plainly  as  human  nature  can 
show  them  in  a  ship  !" 

"  The  Skimmer  of  the  Seas  f "  repeated  the  young 
officers,  who  had  crowded  round  the  veteran  tar,  to 
hear  this  characteristic  description  of  the  notorious 
free-trader. 

"  Skimmer  or  flyer,  we  have  him  now,  dead  undei 
our  lee,  with  a  sandy  beach  on  three  of  his  sides,  and 
the  wind  in  his  eye!"  cried  the  first-lieutenant. 
"You  shall  have  an  opportunity,  Master  Trysail,  of 
correcting  your  account,  by  actual  measurement." 

The  sailing-master  shook  his  head,  like  one  who 
doubted,  and  again  turned  his  eye  on  the  approach 
ing  cloud. 

The  Coquette,  by  this  time,  had  run  so  far  as  to 
flave  the  entrance  of  the  Cove  open;  and  she  was 


232  THE    WATMl-WITCH. 

separated  from  her  object,  only  by  a  distance  of  a 
few  cables'-length.  In  obedience  to  an  order  giveu 
oy  Ludlow,  all  the  light  canvas  of  the  ship  was 
taken  in,  and  the  vessel  was  left  under  her  three 
topsails  and  gib.  There  remained,  however,  a  ques 
tion  as  to  the  channel ;  for  it  was  not  usual  for  ships 
of  the  Coquette's  draught,  to  be  seen  in  that  quarter 
of  the  bay,  and  the  threatening  state  of  the  weather 
rendered  caution  doubly  necessary.  The  pilot  shrunk 
from  a  responsibility  which  did  not  properly  belong 
to  his  office,  since  the  ordinary  navigation  had  no 
concern  with  that  secluded  place ;  and  even  Ludlow, 
stimulated  as  he  was  by  so  many  powerful  motives, 
hesitated  to  incur  a  risk  which  greatly  exceeded  his 
duty.  There  was  something  so  remarkable  in  the 
apparent  security  of  the  smuggler,  that  it  naturally 
led  to  the  belief  he  was  certain  of  being  protected 
by  some  known  obstacle,  and  it  was  decided  to  sound 
before  the  ship  was  hazarded.  An  offer  to  carry  the 
free-trader  with  the  boats,  though  plausible  in  itself, 
and  perhaps  the  wisest  course  of  all,  was  rejected 
by  the  commander,  on  an  evasive  plea  of  its  being 
of  uncertain  issue,  though,  in  truth,  because  he  felt 
an  interest  in  one  whom  he  believed  the  brigantine 
to  contain,  which  entirely  forbade  the  idea  of  making 
the  vessel  the  scene  of  so  violent  a  struggle.  A  yawl 
was  therefore  lowered  into  the  water,  the  main-top 
sail  of  the  ship  was  thrown  to  the  mast ;  and  Lud 
low  himself,  accompanied  by  the  pilot  and  the  mas 
ter,  proceeded  to  ascertain  the  best  approach  to  the 
smuggler.  A  flash  of  lightning,  with  one  of  those 
thunder-claps  that  are  wont  to  be  more  terrific  on 
this  continent  than  in  the  other  hemisphere,  warned 
the  young  mariner  of  the  necessity  of  haste,  if  he 
would  regain  his  ship,  before  the  cloud,  which  still 
threatened  them,  should  reach  the  spot  where  she 
lay.  The  boat  pulled  briskly  into  the  Cove,  both  the 
master  and  the  pilot  sounding  on  each  side,  as  fast  as 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  233 

the  leads  could  be  cast  from  their  hands  and  recov 
ered. 

"This  will  do;"  said  Ludlow,  when  they  tad  as 
certained  that  they  could  enter.  "  I  would  lay  the 
ship  as  close  as  possible  to  the  brigantine,  for  I  dis 
trust  her  quiet.  We  will  go  nearer." 

"  A  brazen  witch,  and  one  whose  saucy  eye  and 
pert  figure  might  lead  any  honest  mariner  into  con 
traband,  or  even  into  a  sea-robbery  !"  half-whispered 
Trysail,  perhaps  afraid  to  trust  his  voice  within 
hearing  of  a  creature  that  seemed  almost  endowed 
with  the  faculties  of  life.  "  Ay,  this  is  the  hussy  !  I 
know  her  by  the  book,  and  her  green  jacket !  But 
where  are  her  people?  The  vessel  is  as  quiet  as  the 
royal  vault  on  a  coronation-day,  when  the  last  king 
and  those  who  went  before  him,  commonly  have  the 
place  to  themselves.  Here  would  be  a  pretty  occa 
sion  to  throw  a  boat's-crew  on  her  decks,  and  haul 
down  yon  impudent  ensign,  which  bears  the  likeness 
of  this  wicked  lady,  so  bravely  in  the  air,  if " 

"  If  what?"  asked  Ludlow,  struck  with  the  plau 
sible  character  of  the  proposal. 

"  Why,  if  one  were  sure  of  the  nature  of  such  a 
minx,  Sir;  for  to  own  the  truth,  I  would  rather 
deal  with  a  regularly-built  Frenchman,  who  showed 
his  guns  honestly,  and  kept  such  a  jabbering  aboard 
that  one  might  tell  his  bearings  in  the  dark. — The 
creature  spoke ! " 

Ludlow  did  not  reply,  for  a  heavy  crash  of  thunder 
succeeded  the  vivid  glow  of  a  flash  of  lightning,  and 
glared  so  suddenly  across  the  swarthy  lineaments  as 
to  draw  the  involuntary  exclamation  from  Trysail, 
The  intimation  that  came  from  the  cloud,  was  not 
to  oe  disregarded.  The  wind,  which  had  so  long 
varied,  began  to  be  heard  in  the  rigging  of  the  silent 
brigantine;  and  the  two  elements  exhibited  une 
quivocal  evidence,  in  their  menacing  and  fitful  colors 
of  the  n2ar  approach  of  the  gust.  The  young  sailor 
US 


234  I  HE    WATER- WITCH. 

with  an  absorbing  interest,  turned  his  eyes  on  his 
ship.  The  yards  were  on  the  caps,  the  bellying  can 
vas  was  fluttering  far  to  leeward,  and  twenty  or 
thirty  human  forms  on  each  spar,  showed  that  the 
nimble-fingered  topmen  were  gathering  in  and  knot 
ting  the  sails  down  to  a  close  reef. 

"Give  way,  men,  for  your  lives!"  cried  the  ex 
cited  Ludlow. 

A  single  dash  of  the  oars  was  heard,  and  the  yaw. 
was  already  twenty  feet  from  the  mysterious  image. 
Then  followed  a  desperate  struggle  to  regain  the 
cruiser,  ere  the  gust  should  strike  her.  The  sullen 
murmur  of  the  wind,  rushing  through  the  rigging  of 
the  ship,  was  audible  some  time  before  they  reached 
her  side ;  and  the  struggles  between  the  fabric  and 
the  elements,  were  at  moments  so  evident,  as  to 
cause  the  young  commander  to  fear  he  would  be  too 
late. 

The  foot  of  Ludlow  touched  the  deck  of  the  Co 
quette,  at  the  instant  the  weight  of  the  squall  fell 
upon  her  sails.  He  no  longer  thought  of  any  interest 
but  that  of  the  moment ;  for,  with  all  the  feelings  ot 
a  seaman,  his  mind^was  now  full  of  his  ship. 

"  Let  run  every  thing !"  shouted  the  ready  officer, 
in  a  voice  that  made  itself  heard  above  the  roar  of 
the  wind.  "  Clue  down,  and  hand !  Away  aloft,  you 
topmen  ! — lay  out ! — furl  away  !" 

These  orders  were  given  in  rapid  succession,  and 
without  a  trumpet,  for  the  young  man  could,  at  need, 
speak  loud  as  the  tempest.  They  were  succeeded 
by  one  of  those  exciting  and  fearful  minutes  that  are 
so  familiar  to  mariners.  Each  man  was  intent  on  his 
duty,  while  the  elements  worked  their  will  around 
him,  as  madly  as  if  the  hand  by  which  they  are 
01  dinarily  restrained  was  for  ever  removed.  The  bay 
was  a  sheet  of  foam,  while  the  rushing  of  the  gust 
resembled  the  dull  rumbling  of  a  thousand  chariots. 
The  ship  yielded  to  the  pressure,  until  the  water 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  235 

Was  seen  gushing  through  her  lee-scuppers,  and  her 
tall  line  of  masts  inclined  towards  the  plane  of  the 
bay,  as  if  the  ends  of  the  yards  were  about  to  dip 
into  the  water.  But  this  was  no  more  than  the  first 
submission  to  the  shock.  The  well-moulded  fabric 
recovered  its  balance,  and  struggled  through  its  ele 
ment,  as  if  conscious  that  there  was  security  only  in 
motion.  Ludlow  glanced  his  eye  to  leeward.  The 
opening  of  the  Cove  was  favorably  situated,  and  he 
caught  a  glimpse  of  the  spars  of  the  brigantine,  rock 
ing  violently  in  the  squall.  He  spoke  to  demand  if 
the  anchors  were  clear,  and  then  he  was  heard, 
shouting  again  from  his  station  in  the  weather  gang 
way — 

"  Hard  a-weather  !— " 

The  first  efforts  of  the  cruiser  to  obey  her  helm, 
stripped  as  she  was  of  canvas,  were  labored  and  slow. 
But  when  her  head  began  to  fall  off,  the  driving 
scud  was  scarce  swifter  than  her  motion.  At  that 
moment,  the  sluices  of  the  cloud  opened,  and  a  torrent 
of  rain  mingled  in  the  uproar,  and  added  to  the  con 
fusion.  Nothing  was  now  visible  but  the  lines  of  the 
falling  water,  and  the  sheet  of  white  foam  through 
which  the  ship  was  glancing. 

"Here  is  the  land,  Sir!"  bellowed  Trysail,  from 
a  cat-head,  where  he  stood  resembling  some  venera 
ble  sea-god,  dripping  with  his  native  element.  "  We 
are  passing  it,  like  a  race-horse ! " 

"See  your  bowers  clear!"  shouted  back  the 
captain. 

"  Ready,  Sir,  ready — " 

Ludlow  motioned  to  the  men  at  the  wheel,  to 
bring  the  ship  to  the  wind;  and  when  her  way  was 
sufficiently  deadened,  two  ponderous  anchors  dropped, 
at  another  signal,  into  the  water.  The  vast  fabric 
was  not  checked  without  a  further  and  tremendous 
struggle.  When  the  bows  felt  the  restraint,  the  ship 
swung  head  to  wind,  .and  fathom  after  fathom  of  the 


236  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

enormous  ropes  were  extracted,  by  surges  so  violent 
as  to  cause  the  hull  to  quiver  to  its  centre.  But  the 
first-lieutenant  and  Trysail  were  no  novices  in  their 
duty,  and,  in  less  than  a  minute,  they  had  secured 
the  vessel  steadily  at  her  anchors.  When  this  im 
portant  service  was  performed,  officers  and  cre\i 
stood  looking  at  each  other,  like  men  who  had  jus 
made  a  hazardous  and  fearful  experiment.  The 
view  again  opened,  and  objects  on  the  land  became 
visible  through  the  still  falling  rain.  The  change 
was  like  that  from  night  to  day.  Men  who  had  passed 
their  lives  on  the  sea  drew  long  and  relieving  breaths, 
conscious  that  the  danger  was  happily  passed.  As  the 
more  pressing  interest  of  their  own  situation  abated 
they  remembered  the  object  of  their  search.  All 
eyes  were  turned  in  quest  of  the  smuggler ;  but,  by 
some  inexplicable  means,  he  had  disappeared. 

1  The  Skimmer  of  the  Seas  ! '  and  *  What  has 
become  of  the  brigantine?'  were  exclamations  that 
the  discipline  of  a  royal  cruiser  could  not  repress. 
They  were  repeated  by  a  hundred  mouths,  while 
twice  as  many  eyes  sought  to  find  the  beautiful 
fabric.  All  looked  in  vain.  The  spot  where  the 
Water- Witch  had  so  lately  lain,  was  vacant,  and  no 
vestige  of  her  wreck  lined  the  shores  of  the  Cove. 
During  the  time  the  ship  was  handing  her  sails,  and 
preparing  to  enter  the  Cove,  no  one  had  leisure  to 
look  for  the  stranger  ;  and  after  the  vessel  had 
anchored,  until  that  moment,  it  was  not  possible  to 
see  her  length,  on  any  side  of  them.  There  was 
still  a  dense  mass  of  falling  water  moving  seaward ; 
but  the  curious  and  anxious  eyes  of  Ludlow  made 
fruitless  efforts  to  penetrate  its  secrets.  Once  indeed, 
more  than  an  hour  after  the  gust  had  reached  his 
own  ship,  and  when  the  ocean  in  the  offing  was  clear 
and  calm,  he  thought  he  could  distinguish,  far  to 
seaward,  the  delicate  tracery  of  a  vessel's  spars, 
drawn  against  the  horizon,  without  any  canvas  set. 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  237 

But  a  second  look  did  not  assure  him  of  the  truth  of 
the  conjecture. 

There  were  many  extraordinary  tales  related  that 
night,  on  board  Her  Britannic  Majesty's  ship  Co 
quette.  The  boatswain  affirmed  that,  while  piping 
below  in  order  to  overhaul  the  cables,  he  had  heard 
a  screaming  in  the  air,  that  sounded  as  if  a  hundred 
devils  were  mocking  him,  and  which  he  told  the 
gunner,  in  confidence,  he  believed  was  no  more  than 
the  winding  of  a  call  on  board  the  brigantine,  who 
had  taken  occasion,  when  other  vessels  were  glad  to 
anchor,  to  get  under  way,  in  her  own  fashion.  There 
was  also  a  fore-top-man  named  Robert  Yarn,  a  fellow 
whose  faculty  for  story-telling  equalled  that  of 
Scheherazade,  and  who  not  only  asserted,  but  who 
confirmed  the  declaration  by  many  strange  oaths, 
that  while  he  lay  on  the  lee-fore-top-sail-yard-arm, 
stretching  forth  an  arm  to  grasp  the  leech  of  the 
sail,  a  dark-looking  female  fluttered  over  his  head 
and  caused  her  long  hair  to  whisk  into  his  face,  in  a 
manner  that  compelled  him  to  shut  his  eyes,  which 
gave  occasion  to  a  smart  reprimand  from  the  reefer 
of  the  top.  There  was  a  feeble  attempt  to  explain 
this  assault,  by  the  man  who  lay  next  to  Yarn,  who 
affected  to  think  the  hair  was  no  more  than  the  end 
of  a  gasket  whipping  in  the  wind  ;  but  his  shipmate, 
who  had  pulled  one  of  the  oars  of  the  yawl,  soon 
silenced  this  explanation,  by  the  virtue  of  his  long- 
established  reputation  for  veracity.  Even  Trysail 
ventured  several  mysterious  conjectures  concerning 
the  fate  o-f  the  brigantine,  in  the  gun-room ;  but,  on 
returning  from  the  duty  of  sounding  the  inlet,  whither 
he  had  been  sent  by  his  captain,  he  was  less  commu 
nicative  and  more  thoughtful  than  usual.  It  ap 
peared,  indeed,  from  tho  surprise  that  was  manifested 
by  every  officer  that  heard  the  report  of  the  quarter 
master,  who  had  given  the  casts  of  the  lead  on  this 
service,  that  no  one  in  the  ship,  with  the  exception 


238  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

of  Alderman  Van  Beverout,  was  at  all  aware  that 
there  was  rather  more  than  two  fathoms  of  water 
in  that  secret  passage. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

44  Sirs,  take  your  places,  and  be  vigilant." 


HENRY  IV. 


THE  succeeding  day  was  one  in  which  the  weather 
nad  a  fixed  character.  The  wind  was  east,  and, 
though  light,  not  fluctuating.  The  air  had  that  thick 
and  hazy  appearance,  which  properly  belongs  to  the 
Autumn  in  this  climate,  but  which  is  sometimes  seen 
at  midsummer,  when  a  dry  wind  blows  from  the 
ocean.  The  roll  of  the  surf,  on  the  shore,  was 
regular  and  monotonous,  and  the  currents  of  the  air 
were  so  steady  as  to  remove  every  apprehension  of 
a  change.  The  moment  to  which  the  action  of  the 
tale  is  transferred,  was  in  the  earlier  hours  of  the 
afternoon. 

At  that  time  the  Coquette  lay  again  at  her 
anchors,  just  within  the  shelter  of  the  cape.  There 
were  a  few  small  sails  to  be  seen  passing  up  the  bay ; 
but  the  scene,  as  was  common  at  that  distant  day, 
presented  little  of  the  activity  of  our  own  times,  to 
the  eye.  The  windows  of  the  Lust  in  Rust  were 
again  open,  and  the  movement  of  the  slaves,  in  and 
about  the  villa,  announced  the  presence  of  its  master 

The  Alderman  was  in  truth,  at  the  hour  named, 
passing  the  little  lawn  in  front  of  la  Cour  des  Fees, 
accompanied  by  Oloff  Van  Staats  and  the  commander 
of  the  cruiser.  It  was  evident,  by  the  frequen 
glances  which  the  latter  threw  in  the  direction  o 
the  pavilion,  that  he  still  thought  of  her  who  was 
absent ;  while  the  faculties  of  the  two  others  were 
either  in  better  subjection,  or  less  stimulated  by  anx« 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  239 

Fit 

iety.  One  who  understood  the  character  of  the  in 
dividual,  and  who  was  acquainted  with  the  past, 
might  have  suspected,  by  this  indifference  on  the 
part  of  the  Patroon,  placed  as  it  was  in  such  a  singu 
lar  contrast  to  a  sort  of  mysterious  animation  which 
enlivened  a  countenance  whose  ordinary  expression 
was  placid  content,  that  the  young  suitor  thought 
less  than  formerly  of  the  assets  of  old  Etienne,  and 
more  of  the  secret  pleasure  he  found  in  the  singular 
incidents  of  which  he  had  been  a  witness. 

"  Propriety  and  discretion  !"  observed  the  burgher, 
in  reply  to  a  remark  of  one  of  the  young  men — "  I 
say  again,  for  the  twentieth  time,  that  we  shall  have 
Alida  Barberie  back  among  us,  as  handsome,  as  in 
nocent,  ay,  and  as  rich,  as  ever ! — perhaps  I  should 
also  say,  as  wilful.  A  baggage,  to  worry  her  old 
uncle,  and  two  honorable  suitors,  in  so  thoughtless  a 
manner  !  Circumstances,  gentlemen,"  continued  the 
wary  merchant,  who  saw  that  the  value  of  the  hand 
of  which  he  had  to  dispose,  was  somewhat  reduced 
in  the  market,  "  have  placed  you  on  a  footing,  in  mj 
esteem.  Should  my  niece,  after  all,  prefer  Captaii 
Ludlow  for  a  partner  in  her  worldly  affairs,  why  it 
should  not  weaken  friendship  between  the  son  of 
old  Stephanus  Van  Staats  and  Myndert  Van  Bever- 
out.  Our  grandmothers  were  cousins,  and  there 
should  be  charities  in  the  same  blood." 

"  I  could  not  wish  to  press  my  suit,"  returned  the 
Patroon,  "  when  the  lady  has  given  so  direct  a  hint 
that  it  is  disagreeable " 

"  Hint  me  no  hints !  Do  you  call  this  caprice  of  a 
moment,  this  trifling,  as  the  captain  here  would  call 
it,  with  the  winds  and  tides,  a  hint !  The  girl  has 
Norman  blood  in  her  veins,  and  she  wishes  to  put 
animation  into  the  courtship.  If  bargains  were  to 
be  interrupted  by  a  little  cheapening  of  the  buyer, 
and  some  affectation  of  waiting  for  a  better  market 
in  the  seller,  Her  Majesty  might  as  well  order  he? 


240  THE   WATER-WITCH. 

custom-houses  to  be  closed  at  once,  and  look  to  other 
sources  for  revenue.  Let  the  girl's  fancy  have  its 
swing,  and  the  profits  of  a  year's  peltry  against  thy 
rent-roll,  we  shall  see  her  penitent  for  her  folly,  and 
willing  to  hear  reason.  My  sister's  daughter  is  no 
witch,  to  go  journeying  for  ever  about  the  woild,  on 
vi  broomstick!" 

"  There  is  a  tradition  in  our  family,"  said  Olofl 
Vran  Staats,  his  eye  lighting  with  a  mysterious  ex 
citement,  while  he  affected  to  laugh  at  the  folly  he 
uttered,  "  that  the  great  Poughkeepsie  fortune-telle 
foretold,  in  the  presence  of  my  grandmother,  that  a 
Patroon  of  Kinderhook  should  intermarry  with  a 
witch.  So,  should  I  see  la  Belle  in  the  position  you 
name,  it  would  not  greatly  alarm  me." 

"The  prophecy  was  fulfilled  at  the  wedding  of 
thy  father!"  muttered  Myndert,  who,  notwithstand 
ing  the  outward  levity  with  which  he  treated  the 
subject,  was  not  entirely  free  from  secret  reverence 
for  the  provincial  soothsayers,  some  of  whom  con 
tinued  in  high  repute,  even  to  the  close  of  the  last 
century.  "  His  son  would  not  else  have  been  so 
clever  a  youth !  But  here  is  Captain  Ludlow  look 
ing  at  the  ocean,  as  if  he  expected  to  see  my  niece 
rise  out  of  the  water,  in  the  shape  of  a  mermaid." 

The  commander  of  the  Coquette  pointed  to  the 
object  which  attracted  his  gaze,  and  which,  appear 
ing  as  it  did  at  that  moment,  was  certainly  not  of  a 
nature  to  lessen  the  faith  of  either  of  his  companions 
in  supernatural  agencies. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  wind  was  dry  and  the 
air  misty,  or  rather  so  pregnant  with  a  thin  haze,  as 
to  give  it  the  appearance  of  a  dull,  smoky  light.  In 
such  a  state  of  the  weather,  the  eye,  more  especially 
of  one  placed  on  an  elevation,  is  unable  to  distinguish 
what  is  termed  the  visible  horizon  at  sea.  The  two 
elements  become  so  blended,  that  our  organs  cannot 
tell  where  the  water  ends,  or  where  the  void  of  the 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  241 

heavens  commences.  It  is  a  consequence  of  this  in 
distinctness,  that  any  object  seen  beyond  the  appa 
rent  boundary  of  water,  has  the  appearance  of  boat 
ing  in  the  air.  It  is  rare  for  the  organs  of  a  )  iiids- 
man  to  penetrate  beyond  the  apparent  limits  ( f  the 
ea,  when  the  atmosphere  exhibits  this  pecul;  irity, 
though  the  practised  eye  of  a  mariner  often  detects 
vessels,  which  are  hid  from  others,  merely  b(  cause 
they  are  not  sought  in  the  proper  place.  TJ  le  de 
ception  may  also  be  aided  by  a  slight  degree  of  re 
fraction. 

"  Here ;"  said  Ludlow,  pointing  in  a  lint  that 
would  have  struck  the  water  some  two  or  three 
leagues  in  the  offing.  "  First  bring  the  chimney  of 
yonder  low  building  on  the  plain,  in  a  range  with 
the  dead  oak  on  the  shore,  and  then  raise  your  eyes 
slowly,  till  they  strike  a  sail." 

"  That  ship  is  navigating  the  heavens !"  exclaimed 
Myndert !  "  Thy  grandmother  was  a  sensible  wo 
man,  Patroon ;  she  was  a  cousin  of  my  pious  progeni 
tor,  and  there  is  no  knowing  what  two  clever  old 
ladies,  in  their  time,  may  have  heard  and  seen, 
when  such  sights  as  this  are  beheld  in  our  own !" 

"  I  am  as  little  disposed  as  another,  to  put  faith  in 
incredible  things,"  gravely  returned  Oloff  Van  Staats; 
"  and  yet,  if  required  to  give  my  testimony,  I  should 
be  reluctant  to  say,  that  yonder  vessel  is  not  floating 
in  the  heavens ! " 

"  You  might  not  give  it  to  that  effect,  in  safety ; 
said  Ludlow.     "  It  is  no  other  than   a   half-rigged 
brigantine,  o  i  a  taut  bowline,  though  she  bears  no 
great  show  of  canvas.    Mr.  Van  Beverout,  Her  Majes 
ty's  cruiser  is  about  to  put  to  sea." 

Myndert  heard  this  declaration  in  visible  dissat- 
sfaction.  He  spoke  of  the  virtue  of  patience,  and 
of  the  comforts  of  the  solid  ground;  but  when  he 
found  the  intention  of  the  Queen's  servant  was  not 
to  be  shaken,  he  reluctantly  professed  an  intention  of 


242  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

repeating  the  personal  experiment  of  the  preceding 
day.  Accordingly,  within  half  an  hour,  me  whole 
party  were  on  the  banks  of  the  Shrewsbury,  and 
about  to  embark  in  the  barge  of  the  Coquette. 

"Adieu,  Monsieur  Francois;"  said  the  Alderman 
nodding  his  head  to  the  ancient  valet,  who  stood  with 
a  disconsolate  eye  on  the  shore.  "  Have  a  care  01 
the  movables  in  la  Cour  des  Fees ;  we  may  have  fur 
ther  use  for  them." 

"  Mais,  Monsieur  Beevre,  mon  devoir,  et,  ma  foi, 
suppose  la  mer  was  plus  agreable,  mon  desir  shall  be 
to  suivre  Mam'selle  Alide.  Jamais  personne  de  la 
famille  Barberie  love  de  sea ;  mais,  Monsieur,  com 
ment  faire  ?  I  shall  die  sur  la  mer  de  douleur ;  and  1 
shall  die  d'ennui,  to  rester  ici,  bien  sur ! " 

"  Come  then,  faithful  Francois,"  said  Ludlow. 
"  You  shall  follow  your  young  mistress ;  and  perhaps, 
on  further  trial,  you  may  be  disposed  to  think  the 
lives  of  us  seamen  more  tolerable  than  you  had  be 
lieved." 

After  an  eloquent  expression  of  countenance,  in 
which  the  secretly-amused  though  grave-looking 
boat's-crew  thought  the  old  man  was  about  to  give 
a  specimen  of  his  powers  of  anticipation,  the  affec 
tionate  domestic  entered  the  barge.  Ludlow  felt  for 
his  distress,  and  encouraged  him  by  a  look  of  appro 
bation.  The  language  of  kindness  does  not  always 
need  a  tongue ;  and  the  conscience  of  the  valet  smote 
him  with  the  idea  that  he  might  have  expressed 
himself  too  strongly,  concerning  a  profession  to  which 
the  other  had  devoted  life  and  hopes. 

"  La  mer,  Monsieur  le  Capitaine,"  he  said,  with  an 
acknowledging  reverence,  "  est  un  vaste  theatre  de 
a  gloire.  Voila  Messieurs  de  Tourville  et  Dougay 
JTrouin;  ce  sont  des  hommes,  vraiment  remarqua- 
bles  !  mais  Monsieur,  quant  a  toute  la  famille  de 
Barbaric,  we  have  toujours  un  sentiment  plus  favora- 
ole  pour  la  terre." 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  243 

"  I  wish  your  whimsical  jade  of  a  mistress,  Master 
Francois,  had  found  the  same  sentiment,"  dryly  ob 
served  Myndert :  "  for  let  me  tell  you,  this  cruising 
about  in  a  suspicious  vessel  is  as  little  creditable  to 
her  judgment  as — cheer  up,  Patroon  ;  the  girlisonJj 
putting  thy  mettle  to  the  trial,  and  the  sea  air  will 
do  no  damage  to  her  complexion  or  her  pocket.  A 
little  predilection  for  salt  water  must  raise  the  girl 
in  your  estimation,  Captain  Ludlow!" 

"  If  the  predilection  goes  no  further  than  to  the 
element,  Sir ;"  was  the  caustic  answer.  "  But,  de 
luded  or  not,  erring  or  deceived,  Alida  Barberie  is 
not  to  be  deserted,  the  victim  of  a  villain's  arts.  I 
did  love  your  niece,  Mr.  Van  Beverout,  and — pull 
with  a  will,  men ;  fellows,  are  you  sleeping  on  the 
oars?" 

The  sudden  manner  in  which  the  young  man  in 
terrupted  himself,  and  the  depth  of  tone  in  which  he 
spoke  to  the  boat's-crew,  put  an  end  to  the  discourse. 
It  was  apparent  that  he  wished  to  say  no  more,  and 
that  he  even  regretted  the  weakness  which  had  in 
duced  him  to  say  so  much.  The  remainder  of  the 
distance,  between  the  shore  and  the  ship,  was  passed 
in  silence. 

When  Queen  Anne's  cruiser  was  seen  doubling 
Sandy-Hook,  past  meridian  on  the  6th  June  (sea- 
time)  in  the  year  17 — ,  the  wind,  as  stated  in  an  an 
cient  journal,  which  was  kept  by  one  of  the  midship 
men,  and  is  still  in  existence,  was  light,  steady  at 
south,  and  by-west-half-west.  It  appears,  by  the 
same  document,  that  the  vessel  took  her  departure 
at  seven  o'clock,  P.  M.,  the  point  of  Sandy-Hook 
bearing  west-half-south,  distant  three  leagues.  On 
the  same  page  which  contains  these  particulars,  it  is 
observed,  under  the  head  of  remarks — "  Ship  under 
starboard  steering-sails,  forward  and  aft,  making  six 
knots.  A  suspicious  half-rigged  brigantine  lying- to 
in  the  eastern  board,  under  her  mainsail,  with  fore- 


244  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

topsail  to  the  mast  ;  light  and  lofty  sails  and  jili 
loose;  foresail  in  the  brails.  Her  star  board  steering 
sail-booms  appear  to  be  rigged  out,  and  the  gear  rove> 
ready  for  a  run.  This  vessel  is  supposed  to  be  the 
celebrated  hermaphrodite,  the  Water- Witch,  com 
manded  by  the  notorious  '  Skimmer  of  the  Seas,' and 
the  same  fellow  who  gave  us  so  queer  a  slip,  yester 
day.  The  Lord  send  us  a  cap-full  of  win^,  and  we  '11 
try  his  heels,  before  morning! — Passengers,  Alder 
man  Van  Beverout,  of  the  second  ward  of  the  City 
of  New- York,  in  Her  Majesty's  province  of  the  same 
namo;  OlofFVan  Staats,  Esq.  commonly  called  the 
Patroon  of  Kinderhook,  of  the  same  colony ;  and  a 
qualmish-looking  old  chap,  in  a  sort  of  marine's  jack 
et,  who  answers  when  hailed  as  Francis.  A  rum 
set  taken  altogether,  though  they  seem  to  suit  the 
Captain's  fancy.  Mem. — Each  lipper  of  a  wave 
works  like  tartar  emetic  on  the  lad  in  marine  gear." 

As  no  description  of  ours  can  give  a  more  graphic 
account  of  the  position  of  the  two  vessels  in  question, 
at  the  time  named,  than  that  which  is  contained  in 
the  foregoing  extract,  we  shall  take  up  the  narrative 
at  that  moment,  which  the  reader  will  see  must,  in 
the  43d  degree  of  latitude,  and  in  the  month  of  June 
have  been  shortly  after  the  close  of  the  day. 

The  young  votary  of  Neptune,  whose  opinions 
have  just  been  quoted,  had  indeed  presumed  on  his 
knowledge  of  the  localities,  in  affirming  the  distance 
and  position  of  the  cape,  since  the  low  sandy  pcint 
was  no  longer  visible  from  the  deck.  The  sun  had 
set,  as  seen  from  the  vessel,  precisely  in  the  mouth 
of  the  Raritan ;  and  the  shadows  from  Navesink,  or 
Neversink  as  the  hills  are  vulgarly  called,  wer 
thrown  far  upon  the  sea.  In  short,  the  night  wa 
gathering  round  the  mariners,  with  every  appear 
ance  of  settled  and  mild  weather,  but  of  a  darkness 
deeper  than  is  common  on  the  ocean.  Under  such 
circumstances,  the  great  olject  was  to  keep  on  the 


THE   WATER-WITCH.  245 

track  of  the  chase,  during  the  time  when  she  must 
necessarily  be  hid  from  their  sight. 

Ludlow  walked  into  the  lee-gangway  of  his  ship, 
and,  leaning  with  his  elbow  on  the  empty  hammock- 
cloths,  he  gazed  long  and  in  silence  at  the  object  of 
his  pursuit.  The  Water- Witch  was  lying  in  the 
quarter  of  the  horizon  most  favorable  to  being  seen. 
The  twilight,  which  still  fell  out  of  the  heavens,  was 
without  glare  in  that  direction ;  and  for  the  first  time 
that  day,  he  saw  her  in  her  true  proportions.  The 
admiration  of  a  seaman  was  blended  with  the  other 
sensations  of  the  young  man.  The  brigantine  lay  in 
the  position  that  exhibited  her  exquisitelv-moulded 
hull  and  rakish  rig  to  the  most  advantage.  The  head, 
having  come  to  the  wind,  was  turned  towards  her 
pursuer ;  and  as  the  bows  rose  on  some  swell  that 
was  heavier  than  common,  Ludlow  saw,  or  fancied 
he  saw,  the  mysterious  image  still  perched  on  her 
cut-water,  holding  the  book  to  the  curious,  and  ever 
pointing  with  its  finger  across  the  waste  of  water.  A 
movement  of  the  hammock-cloths  caused  the  young 
sailor  to  bend  his  head  aside,  and  he  then  saw  that 
the  master  had  drawn  as  near  to  his  person  as  dis 
cipline  would  warrant.  Ludlow  had  a  great  respect 
for  the  professional  attainments  that  his  inferior  un 
questionably  possessed ;  and  he  was  not  without  some 
consideration  for  the  chances  of  a  fortune,  which  had 
not  done  much  to  reward  the  privations  and  the  ser 
vices  of  a  seaman  old  enough  to  be  his  father.  The 
recollection  of  these  facts  always  disposed  him  to  be 
indulgent  to  a  man  who  had  little,  beyond  his  sea 
man-like  character  and  long  experience,  to  recom 
mend  him. 

"  We  are  likely  to  have  a  thick  night,  Master  Try 
Bail,"  said  the  young  captain,  without  deeming  it  ne 
cessary  to  change  his  look,  "and  we  may  yet  be 
brought  on  a  bowline,  before  yonder  insolent  is  over 
hauled.  ' 

V2 


246  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

The  master  smiled,  like  one  who  knew  more  than 
he  expressed,  and  gravely  shook  his  head. 

"  We  may  have  many  pulls  on  our  bowlines,  and 
«ome  squaring  of  yards,  loo,  before  the  Coquette  (the 
figure-head  of  the  sloop-of-war  was  also  a  female) 
gets  near  enough  to  the  dark-faced  woman,  under 
the  bowsprit  of  the  brigantine,  to  whisper  her  mind 
You  and  I  have  been  nigh  enough  to  see  the  white 
of  her  eyes,  and  to  count  the  teeth  she  shows,  in  that 
cunning  grin  of  hers, — and  what  good  has  come  of 
our  visit  1  I  am  but  a  subordinate,  Captain  Ludlow, 
and  I  know  my  duty  too  well  not  to  be  silent  in  a 
squall,  and  I  hope  too  well  not  to  know  how  to  speak 
when  my  commander  wishes  the  opinions  of  his  offi 
cers  at  a  council ;  and  therefore  mine,  just  now,  is 
perhaps  different  from  that  of  some  others  in  this 
ship,  that  I  will  not  name,  who  are  good  men,  too, 
though  none  of  the  oldest." 

"  And  what  is  thy  opinion,  Trysail  ? — the  ship  is 
doing  well,  and  she  carries  her  canvas  bravely." 

"  The  ship  behaves  like  a  well-bred  young  woman 
in  the  presence  of  the  Queen  ;  modest,  but  stately — 
but,  of  what  use  is  canvas,  in  a  chase  where  witch 
craft  breeds  squalls,  and  shortens  sail  in  one  vessel, 
while  it  gives  flying  kites  to  another !  If  Her  Majes 
ty,  God  bless  her !  should  be  ever  persuaded  to  do 
so  silly  a  thing  as  to  give  old  Tom  Trysail  a  ship,  and 
the  said  ship  lay,  just  here-a-way,  where  the  Coquette 
is  now  getting  along  so  cleverly,  why  then,  as  in  duty 
bound,  I  know  very  well  what  her  commander  would 

"  Which  would  be ?" 

"  To.  in  all  studding-sails,  and  bring  the  vessel  on 
the  wind." 

"  That  would  be  to  carry  you  to  the  southward, 
while  the  chase  lies  here  in  the  eastern  board !" 

"  Who  can  say,  how  long  she  will  lie  there  ?  They 
told  us,  in  York,  that  there  was  a  Frenchman,  of 


THE    WAI  JS.R- WITCH.  247 

our  burthen  and  metal,  rummaging  about  among  the 
f.shermen,  lower  down  on  the  coast.  Now,  Sir,  no 
man  knows  that  the  war  is  half  over  better  than  my 
self,  for  not  a  ha'penny  of  prize-money  has  warmed 
my  pocket,  these  three  years ; — but,  as  I  was  saying, 
if  a  Frenchman  will  come  off  his  ground,  and  will  run 
his  ship  into  troubled  water,  why — whose  fault  is  it 
but  his  own  1  A  pretty  affair  might  be  made  out  of 
such  a  mistake,  Captain  Ludlow ;  whereas  running 
after  j^onder  brigantine,  is  flapping  out  the  Queen's 
canvas  for  nothing.  The  vessel's  bottom  will  want 
new  sheathing,  in  my  poor  opinion,  before  you  catch 
him." 

"  I  know  not,  Trysail,"  returned  his  captain, 
glancing  an  eye  aloft ;  "  every  thing  draws,  and  the 
ship  never  went  along  with  less  trouble  to  herself. 
We  shall  not  know  which  has  the  longest  legs,  till 
the  trial  is  made." 

"  You  may  judge  of  the  rogue's  speed  by  his  im 
pudence.  There  he  lies,  waiting  for  us,  like  a  line- 
of-battle  ship  lying-to  for  an  enemy  to  come  down. 
Though  a  man  of  some  experience  in  my  way,  I 
have  never  seen  a  lord's  son  more  sure  of  promotion, 
than  that  same  brigantine  seems  to  be  of  his  heels  ! 
If  this  old  Frenchman  goes  on  with  his  faces  much 
longer,  he  will  turn  himself  inside-out,  and  then  we 
shall  get  an  honest  look  at  him,  for  these  fellows 
never  carry  their  true  characters  above-board,  like 
a  fair-dealing  Englishman.  Well,  Sir,  as  I  was  re 
marking,  yon  rover,  if  rover  he  be,  has  more  faith  in 
his  canvas  than  in  the  church.  I  make  no  doubt, 
Captain  Ludlow,  that  the  brigantine  went  through 
the  inlet,  while  we  were  handing  our  topsails  yes 
terday ;  for  I  am  none  of  those  who  are  in  a  hurry 
to  give  credit  to  any  will-o'-the-wisp  tale ;  besides 
which,  I  sounded  the  passage  with  my  own  hands, 
and  know  the  thing  to  be  possible,  with  the  wind 
blowing  heavy  over  the  taffrail ;  still,  Sir,  human  na- 


248  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

ture  is  human  nature,  and  what  is  the  oldest  seaman 
after  all,  but  a  man  ? — And  so  to  conclude,  I  would 
rather  any  day  chase  a  Frenchman,  whose  disposi* 
tion  is  known  to  me,  than  have  the  credit  of  making 
traverses,  for  eight-and-forty  hours,  in  the  wake  of 
one  of  these  flyers,  with  little  hope  01  getting  hinr 
within  hail." 

"  You  forget,  Master  Trysail,  that  I  have  been 
aboard  the  chase,  and  know  something  of  his  build 
and  character." 

"  They  say  as  much  aboard,  here,"  returned  the 
old  tar,  drawing  nearer  to  the  person  of  his  captain, 
under  an  impulse  of  strong  curiosity;  "  though  none 
presume  to  be  acquainted  with  the  particulars  I 
am  not  one  of  those  who  ask  impertinent  questions, 
more  especially  under  Her  Majesty's  pennant :  for  the 
worst  enemy  1  have  will  not  say  I  am  very  womanish. 
One  would  think,  however,  that  there  was  neat  work 
on  board  a  craft  that  is  so  prettily  moulded  about  her 
water-lines  1 " 

"  She  is  perfect  as  to  construction,  and  admirable 
in  gear." 

"  I  thought  as  much,  by  instinct !  Her  commander 
need  not,  however,  be  any  the  more  sure  of  keeping 
her  off  the  rocks,  on  that  account.  The  prettiest 
young  woman  in  our  parish  was  wrecked,  as  one 
might  say,  on  the  shoals  of  her  own  good  looks,  hav 
ing  cruised  once  too  often  in  the  company  of  the 
squire's  son.  A  comely  wench  she  was,  though  she 
luffed  athwart  all  her  old  companions,  when  the 
young  lord  of  the  manor  fell  into  her  wake.  Well, 
she  did  bravely  enough,  Sir,  as  long  as  she  could 
carry  her  flying  kites,  and  make  a  fair  wind  of  it; 
but  when  the  squall  of  which  I  spoke,  overtook  her, 
what  could  she  do  but  keep  away  before  it  ? — and 
as  others,  who  are  snugger  in  their  morals  hove-to  as 
it  were,  under  the  storm-sails  of  religion  and  such 
matters  as  they  had  picked  up  in  the  catechism,  she 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  249 

drifted  to  leeward  of  all  honest  society !  A  neatly- 
built  and  clean-heeled  hussy  was  that  girl ;  and  I  am 
not  certain,  by  any  means,  that  Mrs.  Trysail  would 
this  day  call  herself  the  lady  of  a  Queen's  officer, 
had  the  other  known  how  to  carry  sail  in  the  com 
pany  of  her  betters." 

The  worthy  master  drew  a  long  breath,  whicl 
possibly  was  a  nautical  sigh,  but  which  certainly  had 
more  of  the  north  wind  than  of  the  zephyr  in  its 
breathing ;  and  he  had  recourse  to  the  little  box  of 
iron,  whence  he  usually  drew  consolation. 

"  I  have  heard  of  this  accident  before ;"  returned 
Ludlow,  who  had  sailed  as  a  midshipman  in  the  same 
vessel  with,  and  indeed  as  a  subordinate  to,  his  pres 
ent  inferior.  "  But,  from  all  accounts,  you  have  little 
reason  to  regret  the  change,  as  I  hear  the  best  char 
acter  of  your  present  worthy  partner." 

"  No  doubt,  Sir,  no  doubt. — I  defy  any  man  in  the 
ship  to  say  that  I  am  a  backbiter,  even  against  my 
wife,  with  whom  I  have  a  sort  of  lawful  right  to  deal 
candidly.  I  make  no  complaints,  and  am  a  happy  man 
at  sea,  and  I  piously  hope  Mrs.  Trysail  knows  how  to 
submit  to  her  duty  at  home. — I  suppose  you  see,  Sir, 
that  the  chase  has  hauled  his  yards,  and  is  getting  his 
fore-tack  aboard?"  Ludlow,  whose  eye  did  not  often 
turn  from  the  brigantine,  nodded  assent;  and  the 
master,  having  satisfied  himself,  by  actual  inspection, 
that  every  sail  in  the  Coquette  did  its  duty,  continued 
— "  The  night  is  coming  on  thick,  and  we  shall  have 
occasion  for  all  our  eyes  to  keep  the  rogue  in  view, 
when  he  begins  to  change  his  bearings — but,  as  I  was 
saying,  if  the  commander  of  yonder  half- rig  is  too 
vain  of  her  good  looks,  he  may  yet  wreck  her,  in  his 
pride !  The  rogue  has  a  desperate  character  as  a 
smuggler,  though,  for  my  own  part,  I  cannot  say  that 
I  look  on  such  men  with  as  unfavorable  an  eye  as 
gome  others.  This  business  of  trade  seems  to  be  a 
sort  of  chase  betweer  one  man's  wits  and  another 


250  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

man's  wits,  and  the  dullest  goer  must  be  content  to 
fall  to  leeward.  When  it  comes  to  be  a  question  01 
revenue,  why,  he  who  goes  free  is  lucky,  and  he  who 
is  caught,  a  prize.  I  have  known  a  flag-officer  look 
the  other  way,  Captain  Ludlow,  when  his  own  effects 
were  passing  duty-free ;  and  as  to  your  admiral's  lady, 
she  is  a  great  patroness  of  the  contraband.  1  do  not 
deny,  Sir,  that  a  smuggler  must  be  caught,  and  when 
caught,  condemned,  after  which  there  must  be  a  fair 
distribution  among  the  captors ;  but  all  that  I  mean 
to  say  is,  that  there  are  worse  men  in  the  world 
than  your  British  smuggler — such,  for  instance,  as 
your  Frenchman,  your  Dutchman,  or  your  Don." 

"  These  are  heretodox  opinions  for  a  Queen's  ser 
vant;"  said  Ludlow,  as  much  inclined  to  smile  as 
to  frown. 

"  I  hope  I  know  my  duty  too  well  to  preach  them 
to  the  ship's  company,  but  a  man  may  say  that,  in  a 
philosophical  way,  before  his  captain,  that  he  would 
not  let  run  into  a  midshipman's  ear.  Though  no 
lawyer,  I  know  what  is  meant  by  swearing  a  wit 
ness  to  the  truth  and  nothing  but  the  truth.  I  wish 
the  Queen  got  the  last,  God  bless  her !  several  worn- 
out  ships  would  then  be  broken  up,  and  better  ves 
sels  sent  to  sea  in  their  places.  But,  Sir,  speaking 
in  a  religious  point  of  view,  what  is  the  difference 
between  passing  in  a  trunk  of  finery,  with  a  duch 
ess's  name  on  the  brass  plate,  or  in  passing  in  gin 
enough  to  fill  a  cutter's  hold  ?" 

"  One  would  think  a  man  of  your  years,  Mr.  Try 
sail,  would  see  the  difference  between  robbing  the 
revenue  of  a  guinea,  and  robbing  it  of  a  thousand 
pounds." 

"  Which  is  just  the  difference  between  retail  and 
wholesale, — and  that  is  no  trifle,  I  admit,  Captain 
Ludlow,  in  a  commercial  country,  especially  in  gen 
teel  life.     Still,  Sir,  revenue  is  the  country's  right, 
and  therefore  I  allow  a  smuggler  to  be  a  bad  man 


THE    WATER-^  ITCH.  251 

yn\y  not  so  bad  as  those  I  have  just  named,  particu 
larly  your  Dutchman  !  The  Queen  is  right  to  make 
those  rogues  lower  their  flags  to  her  in  the  narrow 
seas,  which  are  her  lawful  property ;  because  Eng 
land,  being  a  wealthy  island,  and  Holland  no  more 
than  a  bit  of  bog  turned  up  to  dry,  it  is  reasonable 
that  we  should  have  the  command  afloat.  No,  Sir, 
though  none  of  your  outcriers  against  a  man,  be 
cause  he  has  had  bad  luck  in  a  chase  with  a  reve 
nue-cutter,  I  hope  I  know  what  the  natural  rights 
of  an  Englishman  are.  We  must  be  masters,  here, 
Captain  Ludlow,  will-ye-nill-ye,  and  look  to  the  main 
chances  of  trade  and  manufactures ! " 

"  I  had  not  thought  you  so  accomplished  a  states 
man,  Master  Trysail!" 

"  Though  a  poor  man's  son,  Captain  Ludlow,  I  am 
a  free-born  Briton,  and  my  education  has  not  been 
entirely  overlooked.  I  hope  I  know  something  of 
the  constitution,  as  well  as  my  betters.  Justice  and 
honor  being  an  Englishman's  mottoes,  we  must  look 
manfully  to  the  main  chance.  We  are  none  of  your 
flighty  talkers,  but  a  reasoning  people,  and  there  is 
no  want  of  deep  thinkers  on  the  little  island ;  and 
therefore,  Sir,  taking  all  together,  why  England 
must  stick  up  for  her  rights !  Here  is  your  Dutchman, 
for  instance,  a  ravenous  cormorant ;  a  fellow  with  a 
throat  wide  enough  to  swallow  all  the  gold  of  the 
Great  Mogul,  if  he  could  get  at  it ;  and  yet  a  vaga 
bond  who  has  not  even  a  fair  footing  on  the  earth,  if 
the  truth  must  be  spoken !  Well,  Sir,  shall  England 
give  up  her  rights  to  a  nation  of  such  blackguards  ? 
No,  Sir;  our  venerable  constitution  and  mother 
church  itself  forbid,  and  therefore  I  say,  dam'me,  lay 
them  aboard,  if  they  refuse  us  any  of  our  natural 
rights,  or  show  a  wish  to  bring  us  down  to  their  own 
dirty  level!" 

"  Reasoned  like  a  countryman  of  Newton,   and 
with  an  eloquence  that  would  do  credit  to  Cicero!  I 


252  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

shall  endeavor  to  digest  your  ideas  at  my  leisure 
since  they  are  much  too  solid  food  to  be  disposed  of 
in  a  minute.  At  present  we  will  look  to  the  chase, 
for  I  see,  by  the  aid  of  my  glass,  that  he  has  set  hi* 
Btudding-sails,  and  is  beginning  to  draw  ahead." 

This  remark  closed  the  dialogue,  between  th 
aptain  and  his  subordinate.  The  latter  quitted  the 
gangway  with  that  secret  and  pleasurable  sensation 
which  communicates  itself  to  all  who  have  reasor 
to  think  they  have  delivered  themselves  creditably 
of  a  train  of  profound  thought. 

It  was,  in  truth,  time  to  lend  every  faculty  to  the 
movements  of  the  brigantine;  for  there  was  great 
reason  to  apprehend,  that  by  changing  her  direction 
in  the  darkness,  she  might  elude  them.  The  night 
was  fast  closing  OP  the  Coquette,  and  at  each  mo 
ment  the  horizon  narrowed  around  her,  so  that  it 
was  only  at  uncertain  intervals  the  men  aloft  could 
distinguish  the  position  of  the  chase.  While  the  two 
vessels  were  thus  situated,  Ludlow  joined  his  guests 
on  the  quarter-deck. 

"  A  wise  man  will  trust  to  his  wits,  what  cannot 
be  done  by  force;"  said  the  Alderman.  "I  do  not 
pretend  to  be  much  of  a  mariner,  Captain  Ludlow, 
though  I  once  spent  a  week  in  London,  and  I  have 
crossed  the  ocean  seven  times  to  Rotterdam.  We 
did  little  in  our  passages,  by  striving  to  force  nature 
When  the  nights  came  in  dark,  as  at  present,  the 
honest  schippers  were  content  to  wait  for  bettei 
times;  by  which  means  we  were  sure  not  to  mis* 
our  road,  and  of  finally  arriving  at  the  destined  port 
in  safety." 

"  You  saw  that  the  brigantine  was  opening  his 
canvas,  when  last  seen ;  and  he  that  would  move 
fast,  must  have  recourse  to  his  sails." 

"  One  never  knows  what  may  be  brewing,  up  there 
in  the  heavens,  when  the  eye  cannot  see  the  color 
of  a  cloud.  I  have  little  knowledge  of  the  chararlei 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  253 

ef  the  «  Skimmer  of  the  Seas,'  beyond  that  which 
common  fame  gives  him ;  but,  in  the  poor  judgment  of* 
a  landsman,  we  should  do  better  by  showing  lanterns 
in  different  parts  of  the  ship,  lest  some  homeward- 
bound  vessel  do  us  an  injury,  and  waiting  until  the 
morning,  for  further  movements." 

"  We  are  spared  the  trouble,  for  look,  the  insolent 
has  set  a  light  himself,  as  if  to  invite  us  to  follow ! 
This  temerity  exceeds  belief!  To  dare  to  trifle  thus 
with  one  of  the  swiftest  cruisers  in  the  English  fleet . 
See  that  every  thing  draws,  gentlemen,  and  take  a 
pull  at  all  the  sheets.  Hail  the  tops,  Sir,  and  make 
sure  that  every  thing  is  home." 

The  order  was  succeeded  by  the  voice  of  the 
officer  of  the  watch,  who  inquired,  as  directed,  if 
each  sail  was  distended  to  the  utmost.  Force  was 
applied  to  some  of  the  ropes,  and  then  a  general 
quiet  succeeded  to  the  momentary  activity. 

The  brigantine  had  indeed  showed  a  light,  as  if 
in  mockery  of  the  attempt  of  the  royal  cruiser. 
Though  secretly  stung  by  this  open  contempt  of  their 
speed,  the  officers  of  the  Coquette  found  themselves 
relieved  from  a  painful  and  anxious  duty.  Before 
this  beacon  was  seen,  they  were  obliged  to  exert 
their  senses  to  the  utmost,  in  order  to  get  occasional 
glimpses  of  the  position  of  the  chase ;  while  they 
now  steered  in  confidence  for  the  brilliant  little  spot, 
that  was  gently  rising  and  falling  with  the  waves. 

"  I  think  we  near  him,"  half-whispered  the  eager 
captain ;  "  for,  see,  there  is  some  design  visible  on 
the  sides  of  the  lantern.  Hold ! — Ah  !  'tis  the  face  of 
a  woman,  as  I  live !" 

"  The  men  of  the  yawl  report  that  the  rover  shows 
this  symbol  in  many  parts  of  his  vessel,  and  we  know 
he  had  the  impudence  to  set  it  yesterday  in  our 
presence,  even  on  his  ensign." 

"  True — true ;  take  you  the  glass,  Mr.  Luff,  and 
tell  me  if  there  be  not  a  woman's  face  sketched  in 
W 


254  THE   WATER-WITCH. 

front  of  that  light — we  certainly  near  him  fast — lei 
there  be  silence,  fore  and  aft  the  ship.  The  rogues 
mistake  our  bearings ! " 

"  A  saucy-looking  jade,  as  one  might  wish  to  see  !" 
returned  the  lieutenant.  "  Her  impudent  laugh  is 
"isible  to  the  naked  eye." 

"  See  all  clear  for  laying  him  aboard  !  Get  a  party 
to  throw  on  his  decks,  Sir  !  I  will  lead  them  myself." 

These  orders  were  given  in  an  under  tone,  and 
rapidly.  They  were  promptly  obeyed.  In  the  mean 
time,  the  Coquette  continued  to  glide  gently  ahead, 
ner  sails  thickening  with  the  dew,  and  every  breath 
of  the  heavy  air  acting  with  increased  power  on 
their  surfaces.  The  boarders  were  stationed,  orders 
were  given  for  the  most  profound  silence,  and  as  the 
ship  drew  nearer  to  the  light,  even  the  officers  were 
commanded  not  to  stir.  Ludlow  stationed  himself  in 
the  mizen  channels,  to  cun  the  ship ;  and  his  direc 
tions  were  repeated  to  the  quarter-master,  in  a  loud 
whisper. 

"  The  night  is  so  dark,  we  are  certainly  unseen !" 
observed  the  young  man  to  his  second  in  command, 
who  stood  at  his  elbow.  "  They  have  unaccountably 
mistaken  our  position.  Observe  how  the  face  of  the 
painting  becomes  more  distinct — one  can  see  even  the 
curls  of  the  hair. — Luff,  Sir !  luff— we  will  run  him 
aboard  !  on  his  weather-quarter." 

"The  fool  must  be  lying-to!"  returned  the  lieu 
tenant.  "  Even  your  witches  fail  of  common  sense, 
at  times !  Do  you  see  which  way  he  has  his  head. 
Sir?" 

"  I  see  nothing  but  the  light.  It  is  so  dark  that 
our  own  sails  are  scarcely  visible — and  yet  I  think 
here  are  his  yards,  a  little  forward  of  our  lee  beam." 

"  'Tis  our  own  lower  boom.  I  got  it  out,  in  readi 
ness  for  the  other  tack,  in  case  the  knave  should 
ware.  Are  we  not  running  too  full  ?M 


THE   WATER-WITCH.  253 

"  Luff  you  may,  a  little, — luff,  or  we  shall  crush 
him!" 

As  this  order  was  given,  Ludlow  passed  swiftly 
forward.  He  found  the  boarders  ready  for  a  spring, 
and  he  rapidly  gave  his  orders.  The  men  were  told 
to  carry  the  brigantine  at  every  hazard,  but  not  to 
ffer  violence,  unless  serious  resistance  was  made. 
They  were  thrice  enjoined  not  to  enter  the  cabins, 
and  the  young  man  expressed  a  generous  wish  that, 
in  every  case,  the  «  Skimmer  of  the  Seas'  might  be 
taken  alive.  By  the  time  these  directions  were  given, 
the  light  was  so  near  that  the  malign  countenance 
of  the  sea-green  lady  was  seen  in  every  lineament. 
Ludlow  looked,  in  vain,  for  the  spars,  in  order  to 
ascertain  in  which  direction  the  head  of  the  brigan 
tine  lay;  but,  trusting  to  luck,  he  saw  that  the 
decisive  moment  was  come. 

"  Starboard,  and  run  him  aboard  ! — Away  there, 
you  boarders,  away !  Heave  with  your  grapnels ; 
heave,  men,  with  a  long  swing,  heave !  Meet  her, 
with  the  helm — hard  down — meet  her — steady !" — 
was  shouted  in  a  clear,  full,  and  steady  voice,  that 
seemed  to  deepen  at  each  mandate  which  issued 
from  the  lips  of  the  young  captain. 

The  boarders  cheered  heartily,  and  leaped  into 
the  rigging.  The  Coquette  readily  and  rapidly 
yielded  to  the  power  of  her  rudder.  First  inclining 
to  the  light,  and  then  sweeping  up  towards  the  wind 
again,  in  another  instant  she  was  close  upon  the 
chase.  The  irons  were  thrown,  the  men  once  more 
shouted,  and  all  on  board  held  their  breaths  in  ex 
pectation  of  the  crash  of  the  meeting  hulls.  At  that 
moment  of  high  excitement,  the  woman's  face  rose  a 
short  distance  in  the  air,  seemed  to  smile  in  derision  of 
their  attempt,  and  suddenly  disappeared.  The  ship 
passed  steadily  ahead,  while  no  noise  but  the  sullen 
wash  of  the  waters  was  audible.  The  boarding-irons 
were  heard  falling  heavily  into  the  sea ;  and  the  Co- 


256  THE   WATER-WITCH. 

quctte  rapidly  overrun  the  spot  where  the  light  had 
been  seen,  without  sustaining  any  shock.  Though  the 
clouds  lifted  a  little,  and  the  eye  might  embrace  a 
circuit  of  a  few  hundred  feet,  there  certainly  was 
nothing  to  be  seen,  within  its  range,  but  the  unquie* 
element,  and  the  stately  cruiser  of  Queen  Anne  float 
ing  on  its  bosom. 

Though  its  effects  were  different  on  the  differ 
ently-constituted  minds  of  those  who  witnessed  the 
singular  incident,  the  disappointment  was  general. 
The  common  impression  was  certainly  unfavorable 
to  the  earthly  character  of  the  brigantine ;  and  when 
opinions  of  this  nature  once  get  possession  of  the  ig 
norant,  they  are  not  easily  removed.  Even  Trysail, 
though  experienced  in  the  arts  of  those  who  trifle 
with  the  revenue-laws,  was  much  inclined  to  believe 
that  this  was  no  vulgar  case  of  floating  lights  or  false 
beacons,  but  a  manifestation  that  others,  besides 
those  who  had  been  regularly  trained  to  the  sea, 
were  occasionally  to  be  found  on  the  waters.  If 
Captain  Ludlow  thought  differently,  he  saw  no  suffi 
cient  reason  to  enter  into  an  explanation  with  those 
who  were  bound  silently  to  obey.  He  paced  the 
quarter-deck,  for  many  minutes ;  and  then  issued  his 
orders  to  the  equally -disappointed  lieutenants.  The 
light  canvas  of  the  Coquette  was  taken  in,  the  stud 
ding-sail-gear  unrove,  and  the  booms  secured.  The 
ship  was  then  brought  to  the  wind,  and  her  courses 
having  been  hauled  up,  the  fore-topsail  was  thrown 
to  the  mast.  In  this  position  the  cruiser  lay,  waiting 
for  the  morning  light,  in  order  to  give  greater  cer 
tainty  to  her  movements. 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  257 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

"  I,  John  Turner, 
Am  master  and  owner 
Of  a  high-deck'd  schooner, 
That's  bound  to  Carolina—" 
etc.  etc.  etc.  etc. 

COASTING  Sows. 

IT  is  not  necessary  to  say,  with  how  mnch  inteiest 
Alderman  Van  Beverout,  and  his  friend  the  Patroon 
had  witnessed  all  the  proceedings  on  board  the  Co 
quette.  Something  very  like  an  exclamation  of 
pleasure  escaped  the  former,  when  it  was  known 
that  the  ship  had  missed  the  hrigantine,  and  that 
there  was  now  little  probability  of  overtaking  her  that 
night. 

"  Of  what  use  is  it  to  chase  your  fire-flies,  about 
the  ocean,  Patroon  ?"  muttered  the  Alderman,  in  the 
ear  of  Oloff  Van  Staats.  "  I  have  no  further  know 
ledge  of  this  '  Skimmer  of  the  Seas,'  than  is  decent 
in  the  principal  of  a  commercial  house, — but  reputa 
tion  is  like  a  sky-rocket,  that  may  be  seen  from  afar ! 
Her  Majesty  has  no  ship  that  can  overtake  the  free 
trader,  and  why  fatigue  the  innocent  vessel  for  no 
thing?" 

"Captain  Ludlow  has  other  desires  than  the  mere 

capture  of  the  brigantine ;"  returned  the  laconic  and 

sententious  Patroon.    "The  opinion  that  Alida  de 

Barberie  is  in  her,  has  great  influence  with  that 

entleman." 

"  This  is  strange  apathy,  Mr.  Van  Staats,  in  one 
who  is  as  good  as  engaged  to  my  niece,  if  he  be  not 
actually  married.  Alida  Barberie  has  great  influ 
ence  with  that  gentleman !  And  pray,  with  whom 
that  knows  her,  has  she  not  influence  r 


258  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

"  The  sentiment  in  favor  of  the  young  lady,  in 
general,  is  favorable." 

"  Sentiment  and  favors  !  Am  I  to  understand,  Sir 
by  this  coolness,  that  our  bargain  is  broken  ? — that 
the  two  fortunes  are  not  to  be  brought  together,  and 
that  the  lady  is  not  to  be  your  wife?" 

"  Harkee,  Mr.  Van  Beverout ;  one  whc  is  saving 
of  his  income  and  sparing  of  his  words,  can  have  no 
pressing  necessity  for  the  money  of  others ;  and,  on 
occasion,  he  may  afford  to  speak  plainly.  Your  niece 
has  shown  so  decided  a  preference  for  "another,  that 
it  has  materially  lessened  the  liveliness  of  my  regard.' 

"  It  were  a  pity  that  so  much  animation  should 
fail  of  its  object !  It  would  be  a  sort  of  stoppage  in 
the  affairs  of  Cupid !  Men  should  deal  candidly,  in 
all  business  transactions,  Mr.  Van  Staats ;  and  you 
will  permit  me  to  ask,  as  for  a  final  settlement,  if 
your  mind  is  changed  in  regard  to  the  daughter  of 
old  Etienne  de  Barberie,  or  not?" 

"  Not  changed,  but  quite  decided ;"  returned  the 
young  Patroon.  "  I  cannot  say  that  I  wish  the  suc 
cessor  of  my  mother  to  have  seen  so  much  of  the 
world.  We  are  a  family  that  is  content  with  our  situa 
tion,  and  new  customs  would  derange  my  household." 

"  I  am  no  wizard,  Sir ;  but  for  the  benefit  of  a  son 
of  my  old  friend  Stephanus  Van  Staats,  I  will  ven 
ture,  for  once,  on  a  prophecy.  You  will  marry,  Mr. 
Van  Staats — yes,  marry — and  you  will  wive,  Sir, 
with — prudence  prevents  me  from  saying  with  whom 
you  will  wive ;  but  you  may  account  yourself  a  lucky 
man,  if  it  be  not  with  one  who  will  cause  you  to 
forget  house  and  home,  lands  and  friends,  manors 
and  rents,  and  in  short  all  the  solid  comforts  of  life 
It  would  not  surprise  me  to  hear  that  the  prediction  o 
the  Poughkeepsie  fortune-teller  should  be  fu'Slkd!' 

"  And  what  is  your  real  opinion,  Alderman  Van 
Beverout,  of  the  different  mysterious  events  we  have 
witnessed  1 "  demanded  the  Patroon,  in  a  manner  to 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  259 

prove  that  the  interest  he  took  in  the  subject,  com 
pletely  smothered  any  displeasure  he  might  other 
wise  have  felt  at  so  harsh  a  prophecy.  "  This  sea- 
green  lady  is  no  common  woman!" 

"Sea-green  and  sky-blue!"  interrupted  the  im 
patient  burgher.     "The  hussy  is  but  too  common 
Sir ;  and  there  is  the  calamity.    Had  she  been  satis 
fied  with  transacting  her  concerns  in  a  snug  and 
reasonable  manner,  and  to  have  gone  upon  the  high 
seas  again,  we  should  have  had  none  of  this  foolery, 
to  disturb  accounts  which  ought  to  have  been  con 
sidered  settled.    Mr.  Van  Staats,  will  you  allow  me 
to  ask  a  few  direct  questions,  if  you  can  find  leisure 
for  their  answer  ? " 

The  Patroon  nodded  his  head,  in  the  affirmative. 

"  What  do  you  suppose,  Sir,  to  have  become  of 
my  niece'?" 

"  Eloped." 

"  And  with  whom  1 " 

Van  Staats  of  Kinderhook  stretched  an  arm  to 
wards  the  open  ocean,  and  again  nodded.  The  Alder 
man  mused  a  moment ;  and  then  he  chuckled,  as  if 
some  amusing  idea  had  at  once  gotten  the  better  of 
his  ill-humor. 

"  Come,  come,  Patroon,"  he  said,  in  his  wonted 
amicable  tone,  when  addressing  the  lord  of  a  hun 
dred  thousand  acres,  "  this  business  is  like  a  compli 
cated  account,  a  little  difficult  till  one  gets  acquaint 
ed  with  the  books,  and  then  all  becomes  plain  as 
your  hand.  There  were  referees  in  the  settlement 
of  the  estate  of  Kobus  Van  Klinck,  whom  I  will  not 
name;  but  what  between  the  handwriting  of  the 
old  grocer,  and  some  inaccuracy  in  the  figures,  they 
had  but  a  blind  time  of  it  until  they  discovered 
which  way  the  balance  ought  to  come ;  and  then  by 
working  backward  and  forward,  which  is  the  true 
spirit  of  your  just  referee,  they  got  all  straight  in  the 
end.  Kobus  was  not  very  lucid  in  his  statements, 


260  THE   WATER-WITCH. 

and  he  was  a  little  apt  to  be  careless  of  ink.  His 
legcr  might  be  called  a  book  of  the  black  art ;  for  it 
was  little  else  than  fly-tracks  and  blots,  though  the 
last  were  found  of  great  assistance  in  rendering  the 
statements  satisfactory.  By  calling  three  of  the  big 
gest  of  them  sugar-hogsheads,  a  very  fair  balance 
was  struck  between  him  and  a  peddling  Yankee  who 
was  breeding  trouble  for  the  estate ;  and  I  challenge, 
even  at  this  distant  day,  when  all  near  interests  in 
the  results  may  be  said  to  sleep,  any  responsible  man 
to  say  that  they  did  not  look  as  much  like  those 
articles  as  any  thing  else.  Something  they  must 
have  been,  and  as  Kobus  dealt  largely  in  sugar,  there 
was  also  a  strong  moral  probability  that  they  were 
the  said  hogsheads.  Come,  come,  Patroon ;  we  shall 
have  the  jade  back  again,  in  proper  time.  Thy  ardor 
gets  the  better  of  reason ;  but  this  is  the  way  with 
true  love,  which  is  none  the  worse  for  a  little  delay. 
Alida  is  not  one  to  balk  thy  merriment ;  these  Nor 
man  wenches  are  not  heavy  of  foot  at  a  dance,  or 
apt  to  go  to  sleep  when  the  fiddles  are  stirring ! " 

With  this  consolation,  Alderman  Van  Beverout  saw 
fit  to  close  the  dialogue,  for  the  moment.  How  far 
he  succeeded  in  bringing  back  the  mind  of  the  Pa 
troon  to  its  allegiance,  the  result  must  show ;  though 
we  shall  take  this  occasion  to  observe  again,  that  the 
young  proprietor  found  a  satisfaction  in  the  excite 
ment  of  the  present  scene,  that,  in  the  course  of  a 
short  and  little  diversified  life,  he  had  never  before 
experienced. 

While  others  slept,  Ludlow  passed  most  of  the 
night  on  deck.  He  laid  himself  down  in  the  ham 
mock-cloths,  for  an  hour  or  two,  towards  morning 
though  the  wind  did  not  sigh  through  the  rigging 
louder  than  common,  without  arousing  him  from  his 
slumbers.  At  each  low  call  of  the  officer  of  the  watch 
to  the  crew,  his  head  was  raised  to  glance  around  the 
narrow  horizon ;  and  the  ship  never  rolled  heavily 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  261 

without  causing  him  to  awake.  He  believed  that 
the  brigantine  was  near,  and,  for  the  first  watch,  he 
was  not  without  expectation  that  the  two  vessels 
might  unexpectedly  meet  in  the  obscurity.  When 
this  hope  failed,  the  young  seaman  had  recourse  to 
irtifice,  in  his  turn,  in  order  to  entrap  one  who  ap 
>eared  so  practised  and  so  expert  in  the  devices  of 
he  sea. 

About  midnight,  when  the  watches  were  changed, 
and  the  whole  crew,  with  the  exception  of  the  idlers, 
were  on  deck,  orders  were  given  to  hoist  out  the 
boats.  This  operation,  one  of  exceeding  toil  and  diffi 
culty  in  lightly-manned  ships,  was  soon  performed  on 
board  the  Queen's  cruiser,  by  the  aid  of  yard  and 
stay-tackles,  to  which  the  force  of  a  hundred  seamen 
was  applied.  When  four  of  these  little  attendants 
on  the  ship  were  in  the  water,  they  were  entered  by 
their  crews,  prepared  for  serious  service.  Officers, 
on  whom  Ludlow  could  rely,  were  put  in  command 
of  the  three  smallest,  while  he  took  charge  of  the 
fourth  in  person.  When  all  were  ready,  and  each 
inferior  had  received  his  especial  instructions,  they 
quitted  the  side  of  the  vessel,  pulling  off,  in  diverging 
lines,  into  the  gloom  of  the  ocean.  The  boat  of  Lud 
low  had  not  gone  fifty  fathoms,  before  he  was  per 
fectly  conscious  of  the  inutility  of  a  chase ;  for  the 
obscurity  of  the  night  was  so  great,  as  to  render  the 
spars  of  his  own  ship  nearly  indistinct,  even  at  that 
short  distance.  After  pulling  by  compass  some  ten 
or  fifteen  minutes,  in  a  direction  that  carried  him  to 
windward  of  the  Coquette,  the  young  man  com 
manded  the  crew  to  cease  rowing,  and  prepared  him 
self  to  await,  patiently,  for  the  result  of  his  under 
taking. 

There  was  nothing  to  vary  the  monotony  of  such 
a  scene,  for  an  hour,  but  the  regular  rolling  of  a  sea 
that  was  but  little  agitated,  a  few  occasional  strokes  of 
the  oars,  that  wei  e  given  in  order  to  keep  the  barge 


262  THE   WATER-WITCH. 

in  its  place,  or  the  heavy  breathing  oi  some  smallei 
fish  of  the  cetaceous  kind,  as  it  rose  to  the  surface 
to  inhale  the  atmosphere.  In  no  quarter  of  the  hea 
vens  was  any  thing  visible  ;  not  even  a  star  was  peep 
ing  out,  to  cheer  the  solitude  and  silence  of  that  soli 
tary  place.  The  men  were  nodding  on  the  thwarts 
and  our  young  sailor  was  about  to  relinquish  his  de 
sign  as  fruitless,  when  suddenly  a  noise  was  heard,  at 
no  great  distance  from  the  spot  where  they  lay.  It 
was  one  of  those  sounds  which  would  have  been  in 
explicable  to  any  but  a  seaman,  but  which  conveyed 
a  meaning  to  the  ears  of  Ludlow,  as  plain  as  that 
which  could  be  imparted  by  speech  to  a  landsman. 
A  moaning  creak  was  followed  by  the  low  rumbling 
of  a  rope,  as  it  rubbed  on  some  hard  or  distended 
substance ;  and  then  succeeded  the  heavy  flap  of  can 
vas,  that,  yielding  first  to  a  powerful  impulse,  was 
suddenly  checked. 

"  Hear  ye  that?"  exclaimed  Ludlow,  a  little  above 
a  whisper.  "  'Tis  the  brigantine,  gybing  his  main- 
boom  !  Give  way,  men — see  all  ready  to  lay  him 
aboard!" 

The  crew  started  from  their  slumbers ;  the  plash 
of  oars  was  heard,  and,  in  the  succeeding  moment, 
the  sails  of  a  vessel,  gliding  through  the  obscurity, 
nearly  across  their  course,  were  visible. 

"  Now  spring  to  your  oars,  men !"  continued  Lud 
low,  with  the  eagerness  of  one  engaged  in  chase. 
"  We  have  him  to  advantage,  and  he  is  ours  ! — a  long 
pull  and  a  strong  pull — steadily,  boys,  and  together  ! " 

The  practised  crew  did  their  duty.  It  seemed  bu* 
a  moment,  before  they  were  close  upon  the  chase. 

"  Another  stroke  of  the  oars,  and  she  is  ours ! " 
cried  Ludlow. — «*  Grapple  ! — to  your  arms  ! — away 
boarders,  away !" 

These  orders  came  on  the  ears  of  the  men  with 
the  effect  of  martial  blasts.  The  crew  shouted,  the 
clashing  of  arms  was  heard,  and  the  tramp  of  feet 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  263 

on  the  deck  of  the  vessel  announced  the  success  01 
the  enterprise.  A  minute  of  extreme  activity  and 
of  noisy  confusion  followed.  The  cheers  of  the  board 
ers  had  been  heard,  at  a  distance ;  and  rockets  shot 
into  the  air,  from  the  other  boats,  whose  crews  an 
swered  the  shouts  with  manful  lungs.  The  whole 
ocean  appeared  in  a  momentary  glow,  and  the  roar 
of  a  gun  from  the  Coquette  added  to  the  fracas.  The 
ship  set  several  lanterns,  in  order  to  indicate  her  po 
sition  ;  while  blue-lights,  and  other  marine  signals 
were  constantly  burning  in  the  approaching  boats,  as 
if  those  who  guided  them  were  anxious  to  intimidate 
the  assailed  by  a  show  of  numbers. 

In  the  midst  of  this  scene  of  sudden  awakening 
from  the  most  profound  quiet,  Ludlow  began-  to  look 
about  him,  in  order  to  secure  the  principal  objects  of 
the  capture.  He  had  repeated  his  orders  about  en 
tering  the  cabins,  and  concerning  the  person  of  the 
*  Skimmer  of  the  Seas,'  among  the  other  instructions 
given  to  the  crews  of  the  different  boats  ;  and  the  in 
stant  they  found  themselves  in  quiet  possession  of  the 
prize,  the  young  man  dashed  into  the  private  re 
cesses  of  the  vessel,  with  a  heart  that  throbbed  even 
more  violently  than  during  the  ardor  of  boarding. 
To  cast  open  the  door  of  a  cabin,  beneath  the  high 
quarter-deck,  and  to  descend  to  the  level  of  its  floor, 
were  the  acts  of  a  moment.  But  disappointment  and 
mortification  succeeded  to  triumph.  A  second  glance 
was  not  necessary  to  show  that  the  coarse  work  and 
foul  smells  he  saw  and  encountered,  did  not  belong 
to  the  commodious  and  even  elegant  accommodations 
of  the  brigantine. 

"  Here  is  no  Water- Witch !"  he  exclaimed  aloud 
under  the  impulse  of  sudden  surprise. 

"  God  be  praised  !  "  returned  a  voice,  which  was 
succeeded  by  a  frightened  face  from  out  a  state-room. 
"We  were  told  the  rover  was  in  the  offing,  and 
thought  the  yells  could  come  from  nothing  human  !** 


264 


THE    WATER-WITCH. 


The  blood,  which  had  been  rushing  through  the 
arteries  and  veins  of  Ludlow  so  tumultuously,  now 
crept  into  his  cheeks,  and  was  felt  tingling  at  his  fin- 
gers'-ends.  He  gave  a  hurried  order  to  his  men  to 
re-enter  their  boat,  leaving  every  thing  as  they  found 
*t.  A  short  conference  between  the  commander  o 
Her  Majesty's  ship  Coquette,  and  the  seaman  of  the 
tate-room,  succeeded ;  and  then  the  former  hastened 
n  deck,  whence  his  passage  into  the  barge  occupied 
but  a  moment.  The  boat  pulled  away  from  the  fan 
cied  prize,  amid  a  silence  that  was  uninterrupted  by 
any  other  sound  than  that  of  a  song,  which,  to  all 
appearance,  came  from  one  who  by  this  time  had 
placed  himself  at  the  vessel's  helm.  All  that  can  be 
said  of  the  music  is,  that  it  was  suited  to  the  words, 
and  all  that  could  be  heard  of  the  latter,  was  a  por 
tion  of  a  verse,  if  verse  it  might  be  called,  which  had 
exercised  the  talents  of  some  thoroughly  nautical 
mind.  As  we  depend,  for  the  accuracy  of  the  quota 
tion,  altogether  on  the  fidelity  of  the  journal  of  the 
midshipman  already  named,  it  is  possible  that  some 
injustice  may  be  done  the  writer ;  but,  according  to 
that  document,  he  sang  a  strain  of  the  coasting  song, 
which  we  have  prefixed  to  this  chapter  as  its  motto. 
The  papers  of  the  coaster  did  not  give  a  more  de 
tailed  description  of  her  character  and  pursuits,  than 
that  which  is  contained  in  this  verse.  It  is  certain 
that  the  log-book  of  the  Coquette  was  far  less  expli 
cit.  The  latter  merely  said,  that  '  a  coaster  called 
the  Stately  Pine,  John  Turner,  master,  bound  from 
New- York  to  the  Province  of  North  Carolina,  was 
boarded  at  one  o'clock,  in  the  morning,  all  well.'  But 
this  description  was  not  of  a  nature  to  satisfy  the  sea 
men  of  the  cruiser.  Those  who  had  been  actually 
ngaged  in  the  expedition  were  much  too  excited  to 
see  things  in  their  true  colors;  and,  coupled  with 
the  two  previous  escapes  of  the  Water- Witch,  the 
event  just  related  had  no  small  share  in  confirming 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  265 

their  former  opinions  concerning  her  character.  The 
sailing-master  was  not  now  alone,  in  believing  that 
all  pursuit  of  the  brigantine  was  perfectly  useless. 

But  these  were  conclusions  that  the  people  of  the 
Coquette  made  at  their  leisure,  rather  than  those 
which  suggested  themselves  on  the  instant.  The  boats, 
ed  by  the  flashes  of  light,  had  joined  each  other, 
and  were  rowing  fast  towards  the  ship,  before  the 
pulses  of  the  actors  beat  with  sufficient  calmness  to 
allow  of  serious  reflection ;  nor  was  it  until  the  ad 
venturers  were  below,  and  in  their  hammocks,  that 
they  found  suitable  occasion  to  relate  what  had  oc 
curred  to  a  wondering  auditory.  Robert  Yarn,  the 
fore-top-man  who  had  felt  the  locks  of  the  sea-green 
lady  blowing  in  his  face  during  the  squall,  took  ad 
vantage  of  the  circumstance  to  dilate  on  his  expe 
riences  ;  and,  after  having  advanced  certain  positions 
that  particularly  favored  his  own  theories,  he  pro 
duced  one  of  the  crew  of  the  barge,  who  stood  ready 
to  affirm,  in  any  court  in  Christendom,  that  he  ac 
tually  saw  the  process  of  changing  the  beautiful  and 
graceful  lines  that  distinguished  the  hull  of  the  smug 
gler,  into  the  coarser  and  more  clumsy  model  of  the 
coaster. 

"There  are  know-nothings,"  continued  Robert, 
after  he  had  fortified  his  position  by  the  testimony  in 
question,  "  who  would  deny  that  the  water  of  the 
ocean  is  blue,  because  the  stream  that  turns  the 
parish-mill  happens  to  be  muddy.  But  your  real 
mariner,  who  has  lived  much  in  foreign  parts,  is  a  man 
who  understands  the  philosophy  of  life,  and  knows 
when  to  believe  a  truth  and  when  to  scorn  a  lie.  As 
for  a  vessel  changing  her  character  when  hard  pushed 
in  a  chase,  there  are  many  instances ;  though  having 
one  so  near  us,  there  is  less  necessity  to  be  roving 
over  distant  seas,  in  search  of  a  case  to  prove  it.  My 
awn  opinion  concerning  this  here  brigantine,  is  much 
X 


266  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

as  follows ; — that  is  to  say,  I  do  suppose  there  \vas 
once  a  real  living  hermaphrodite  of  her  build  and  rig, 
and  that  she  might  be  employed  in  some  such  trade 
as  this  craft  is  thought  to  be  in ;  and  that,  in  some 
unlucky  hour,  she  and  her  people  met  with  a  mishap, 
that  has  condemned  her  ever  since  to  appear  on  this 
coast  at  stated  times.  She  has,  however,  a  natural 
dislike  to  a  royal  cruiser ;  and  no  doubt  the  thing  is 
now  sailed  by  those  who  have  little  need  of  compass 
or  observation!  All  this  being  true,  it  is  not  wonder 
ful  that  when  the  boat's-crew  got  on  her  decks,  they 
found  her  different  from  what  they  had  expected. 
This  much  is  certain,  that  when  I  lay  within  a  boat- 
hook's  length  of  her  spritsail-yard-arm,  she  was  a  half- 
rig,  with  a  woman  figure-head,  and  as  pretty  a  show 
of  gear  aloft,  as  eye  ever  looked  upon ;  while  every 
thing  below  was  as  snug  as  a  tobacco-box  with  the 
lid  down : — and  here  you  all  say  that  she  is  a  high- 
decked  schooner,  with  nothing  ship-shape  about  her ! 
What  more  is  wanting  to  prove  the  truth  of  what 
has  been  stated  ? — If  any  man  can  gainsay  it,  let  him 
speak." 

As  no  man  did  gainsay  it,  it  is  presumed  that  the 
reasoning  of  the  top-man  gained  many  proselytes. 
It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add,  how  much  of  mystery 
and  fearful  interest  was  thrown  around  the  redoubt 
able  *  Skimmer  of  the  Seas,'  by  the  whole  transac 
tion. 

There  was  a  different  feeling  on  the  quarter-deck, 
The  two  lieutenants  put  their  heads  together,  and 
looked  grave ;  while  one  or  two  of  the  midshipmen, 
who  had  been  in  the  boats,  were  observed  to  whisper 
with  their  messmates,  and  to  indulge  in  smothered 
laughter.  As  the  captain,  however,  maintained  his 
ordinary  dignified  and  authoritative  mien,  the  mer 
riment  went  no  farther,  and  was  soon  entirely  re 
pressed. 

While  on  this  subject,  it  may  be  proper  to  add 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  267 

that,  in  course  of  time,  the  Stately  Pine  reached  the 
capes  of  North  Carolina,  in  safety ;  and  that,  having 
effected  her  passage  over  Edenton  bar,  without 
striking,  she  ascended  the  river  to  the  point  of  her 
destination.  Here  the  crew  soon  began  to  throw  out 
hints,  relative  to  an  encounter  of  their  schooner 
with  a  French  cruiser.  As  the  British  empire,  even 
in  its  most  remote  corners,  was  at  all  times  alive  to 
its  nautical  glory,  the  event  soon  became  the  dis 
course  in  more  distant  parts  of  the  colony ;  and  in 
less  than  six  months,  the  London  journals  contained 
a  very  glowing  account  of  an  engagement,  in  which 
the  names  of  the  Stately  Pine,  and  of  John  Turner, 
made  some  respectable  advances  towards  immortality. 

If  Captain  Ludlow  ever  gave  any  further  account 
of  the  transaction  than  what  was  stated  in  the  log 
book  of  his  ship,  the  bienseance,  observed  by  the 
Lords  of  the  Admiralty,  prevented  it  from  becoming 
public. 

Returning  from  this  digression,  which  has  no  other 
connexion  with  the  immediate  thread  of  the  narra 
tive,  than  that  which  arises  from  a  reflected  interest, 
we  shall  revert  to  the  further  proceedings  on  board 
the  cruiser. 

When  the  Coquette  had  hoisted  in  her  boats,  that 
portion  of  the  crew  which  did  not  belong  to  the 
watch  was  dismissed  to  their  hammocks,  the  lights 
were  lowered,  and  tranquillity  once  more  reigned  in 
the  ship.  Ludlow  sought  his  rest,  and  although  there 
is  reason  to  think  that  his  slumbers  were  a  little  dis 
turbed  by  dreams,  he  remained  tolerably  quiet  in  the 
hammock-cloths,  the  place  in  which  it  has  already 
been  said  he  saw  fit  to  take  his  repose,  until  the 
morning  watch  had  been  called. 

Although  the  utmost  vigilance  was  observed  among 
the  officers  and  look-outs,  during  the  rest  of  the 
night,  there  occurred  nothing  to  arouse  the  crew 
from  their  usual  recumbent  attitudes  between  the 


268  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

guns.  The  wind  continued  light  but  steady,  the  sea 
smooth,  and  the  heavens  clouded,  as  during  the  first 
he  urs  of  darkness, 


CHAPTEE  XX. 

"  The  mouse  ne'er  shunned  the  cat,  as  they  did  budge 
From  rascals  worse  than  they." 

CORIOLANUS. 

DAY  dawned  on  the  Atlantic,  with  its  pearly  light, 
succeeded  by  the  usual  flushing  of  the  skies,  and  the 
stately  rising  of  the  sun  from  out  the  water.  The 
instant  the  vigilant  officer,  who  commanded  the 
morning  watch,  caught  the  first  glimpses  of  the  re 
turning  brightness,  Ludlow  was  awakened.  A  finger 
laid  on  his  arm,  was  sufficient  to  arouse  one  who 
slept  with  the  responsibility  of  his  station  ever  pres 
ent  to  his  mind.  A  minute  did  not  pass,  before  the 
young  man  was  on  the  quarter-deck,  closely  exam 
ining  the  heavens  and  the  horizon.  His  first  question 
waa  to  ask  if  nothing  had  been  seen  during  the 
waich.  The  answer  was  in  the  negative. 

Ci  I  like  this  opening  in  the  north-west,"  observed 
thr  captain,  after  his  eye  had  thoroughly  scanned 
tho  whole  of  the  still  dusky  and  limited  view. 
"  Wind  will  come  out  of  it.  Give  us  a  cap-full,  and 
\*e  shall  try  the  speed  of  this  boasted  Water- Witch ! 
— Do  I  not  see  a  sail,  on  our  weather-beam  ? — or  is 
it  the  crest  of  a  wave?" 

"  The  sea  is  getting  irregular,  and  I  have  often 
been  thus  deceived,  since  the  light  appeared." 

"  Get  more  sail  on  the  ship.  Here  is  wind,  in 
shore  of  us;  we  will  be  ready  for  it.  See  every 
tiling  clear,  to  show  all  our  canvas." 


THE   WATER-WITCH.  269 

The  lieutenant  received  these  orders  with  the  cus- 
tomaiy  deference  and  communicated  them  to  his  in 
feriors  again,  with  the  promptitude  that  distinguishes 
sea  discipline.  The  Coquette,  at  the  moment,  was 
ying  under  her  three  topsails,  one  of  which  wa 
thrown  against  its  mast,  in  a  manner  to  hold  the 
vessel  as  nearly  stationary  as  her  drift  and  the  wash 
of  the  waves  would  allow.  So  soon,  however,  as  the 
officer  of  the  watch  summoned  the  people  to  exer 
tion,  the  massive  yards  were  swung ;  several  light 
sails,  that  served  to  balance  the  fabric  as  well  as  to 
urge  it  ahead,  were  hoisted  or  opened;  and  the  ship 
immediately  began  to  move  through  the  water. 
While  the  men  of  the  watch  were  thus  employed, 
the  flapping  of  the  canvas  announced  the  approach 
of  a  new  breeze. 

The  coast  of  North  America  is  liable  to  sudden 
and  dangerous  transitions,  in  the  currents  of  the  air. 
It  is  a  circumstance  of  no  unusual  occurrence,  for  a 
gale  to  alter  its  direction  with  so  little  warning,  as 
greatly  to  jeopard  the  safety  of  a  ship,  or  even  to 
overwhelm  her.  It  has  been  often  said,  that  the 
celebrated  Ville  de  Paris  was  lost  through  one  of 
these  violent  changes,  her  captain  having  inadver 
tently  hove- to  the  vessel  under  too  much  after-sail, 
a  mistake  by  which  he  lost  the  command  of  his  ship 
during  the  pressing  emergency  that  ensued.  What 
ever  may  have  been  the  fact  as  regards  that  ill-fated 
prize,  it  is  certain  that  Ludlow  was  perfectly  aware 
of  the  hazards  that  sometimes  accompany  the  first 
blasts  of  a  north-west  wind  on  his  native  coast,  and 
that  he  never  forgot  to  be  prepared  for  the  danger. 

When  the  wind  from  the  land  struck  the  Coquette; 
the  streak  of  light,  which  announced  the  appearance 
of  the  sun,  had  been  visible  several  minutes.  As  the 
broad  sheets  of  vapor,  that  had  veiled  the  heavens 
during  the  prevalence  of  the  south-easterly  breeze, 
were  rolled  up  into  dense  masses  of  clouds,  like  some 
X2 


270  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

immense  curtain  that  is  withdrawn  from  before  its 
scene,  the  water,  no  less  than  the  sky,  became  in 
stantly  visible,  in  every  quarter.  It  is  scarcely  ne 
cessary  to  say,  how  eagerly  the  gaze  of  our  young 
seaman  ran  over  the  horizon,  in  order  to  observe  the 
objects  which  might  come  within  its  range.  At  first 
disappointment  was  plainly  painted  in  his  counte 
nance,  and  then  succeeded  the  animated  eye  and 
flushed  cheek  of  success. 

"  I  had  thought  her  gone !"  he  said  to  his  imme 
diate  subordinate  in  authority.  "  l»ut  here  she  is, 
to  leeward,  just  within  the  edge  of  that  driving  mist, 
and  as  dead  under  our  lee  as  a  kind  fortune  could 
place  her.  Keep  the  ship  away,  Sir,  and  cover  her 
with  canvas,  from  her  trucks  down.  Call  the  people 
from  their  hammocks,  and  show  yon  insolent  what 
Her  Majesty's  sloop  can  do,  at  need!" 

This  command  was  the  commencement  of  a  gene 
ral  and  hasty  movement,  in  which  every  seaman  in 
the  ship  exerted  his  powers  to  the  utmost.  All  hands 
were  no  sooner  called,  than  the  depths  of  the  vessel 
gave  up  their  tenants,  who,  joining  their  force  to 
that  of  the  watch  on  deck,  quickly  covered  the 
spars  of  the  Coquette  with  a  snow-white  cloud.  Not 
content  to  catch  the  breeze  on  such  surfaces  as  the 
ordinary  yards  could  distend,  long  booms  were  thrust 
out  over  the  water,  and  sail  was  set  beyond  sail, 
until  the  bending  masts  would  bear  no  more.  The  low 
hull,  which  supported  this  towering  and  complicated 
mass  of  ropes,  spars,  and  sails,  yielded  to  the  powerful 
impulse,  and  the  fabric,  which,  in  addition  to  its  crowd 
of  human  beings,  sustained  so  heavy  a  load  of  artillery, 
with  all  its  burthen  of  stores  and  ammunition,  began  to 
divide  the  waves,  with  the  steady  and  imposing  force 
of  a  vast  momentum.  The  seas  curled  and  broke 
against  her  sides,  like  water  washing  the  rocks,  the 
steady  ship  feeling,  as  yet,  no  impression  from  their 
feeble  efforts.  As  the  wind  increased,  however,  and 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  271 

the  vessel  went  further  from  the  land,  the  surface  of 
the  ocean  gradually  grew  more  agitated,  until  the 
highlands,  which  lay  over  the  villa  of  the  Lust  in 
Rust,  finally  sunk  into  the  sea  ;  when  the  top-gallant- 
royals  of  the  ship  were  seen  describing  wide  seg 
ments  of  circles  against  the  heavens,  and  her  dark 
sides  occasionally  rose,  from  a  long  and  deep  roll, 
glittering  with  the  element  that  sustained  her. 

When  Ludlow  first  descried  the  object  which  he 
believed  to  be  the  chase,  it  seemed  a  motionless  speck 
on  Ihe  margin  of  the  sea.  It  had  now  grown  into  all 
the  magnitude  and  symmetry  of  the  well-known 
brigantine.  Her  slight  and  attenuated  spars  were 
plainly  to  be  seen,  rolling,  easily  but  wide,  with  the 
constant  movement  of  the  hull,  and  with  no  sail 
spread,  but  that  which  was  necessary  to  keep  the 
vessel  in  command  on  the  billows.  But  when  the 
Coquette  was  just  within  the  range  of  a  cannon,  the 
canvas  began  to  unfold ;  and  it  was  soon  apparent 
that  the  *  Skimmer  of  the  Seas'  was  preparing  for 
flight. 

The  first  manoeuvre  of  the  Water-witch  was  an 
attempt  to  gain  the  wind  of  her  pursuer.  A  short 
experiment  appeared  to  satisfy  those  who  governed 
the  brigantine  that  the  effort  was  vain,  while  the 
wind  was  so  fresh  and  the  water  so  rough.  She  wore, 
and  crowded  sail  on  the  opposite  tack,  in  order  to 
try  her  speed  with  the  cruiser ;  nor  was  it  until  the 
result  sufficiently  showed  the  danger  of  permitting 
the  other  to  get  any  nigher,  that  she  finally  put  her 
helm  aweather,  and  ran  ofF,  like  a  sea-fowl  resting 
on  its  wing,  with  the  wind  over  her  taflfrail. 

The  two  vessels  now  presented  the  spectacle  of  a 
stern  chase.  The  brigantine  also  opened  the  folds 
•  »f  all  her  sails,  and  there  arose  a  pyramid  of  canvas, 
over  the  nearly  imperceptible  hull,  that  resembled  a 
fantastic  cloud  driving  above  the  sea,  with  a  velocity 
that  seemed  to  rival  the  passage  of  the  vapor  that 


272 


THE    WATER-WITCH. 


floated  in  the  upper  air.  As  equal  skill  directed  th« 
movements  of  the  two  vessels,  and  the  same  breeze 
pressed  upon  their  sails,  it  was  long  before  there  waa 
any  perceptible  difference  in  their  progress.  Hour 
passed  after  hour,  and  were  it  not  for  the  sheets  of 
white  foam  that  were  dashed  from  the  bows  of  the 
Coquette,  and  the  manner  in  which  she  even  out 
stripped  the  caps  of  the  combing  waves,  her  com 
mander  might  have  fancied  his  vessel  ever  in  the 
same  spot.  While  the  ocean  presented,  on  every 
side,  the  same  monotonous  and  rolling  picture,  there 
lay  the  chase,  seemingly  neither  a  foot  nearer,  nor 
a  foot  farther,  than  when  the  trial  of  speed  began. 
A  dark  line  would  rise  on  the  crest  of  a  wave,  and 
then,  sinking  again,  leave  nothing  visible,  but  the 
yielding  and  waving  cloud  of  canvas,  that  danced 
along  the  sea. 

"  I  had  hoped  for  better  things  of  the  ship,  Master 
Trysail !  "  said  Ludlow,  who  had  long  been  seated  on 
a  night-head,  attentively  watching  the  progress  of  the 
chase.  "  We  are  buried  to  the  bob-stays ;  and  yet, 
there  yon  fellow  lies,  nothing  plainer  than  when  he 
first  showed  his  studding-sails  ! " 

"  And  there  he  will  lie,  Captain  Ludlow,  while  the 
light  lasts.  I  have  chased  the  rover  in  the  narrow 
seas,  till  the  cliffs  of  England  melted  away  like  the 
cap  of  a  wave ;  and  we  had  raised  the  sand-banks  of 
Holland  high  as  the  sprit-sail-yard,  and  yet  what 
good  came  of  it  ?  The  rogue  played  with  us,  as  your 
sportsman  trifles  with  the  entangled  trout ;  and  when 
we  thought  we  had  him,  he  would  shoot  without  the 
range  of  our  guns,  with  as  little  exertion  as  a  ship 
lides  into  the  water,  after  the  spur  shears  are  knocked 
rom  under  her  bows." 

"  Ay,  but  the  Druid  had  a  little  of  the  rust  of  an 
tiquity  about  her.  The  Coquette  has  never  got  a 
chase  under  her  lee,  that  she  did  not  speak." 

"  I  disparage  no  ship,  Sir,  for  character  is  chara  * 


THE    V,  ATER- WITCH.  273 

ter,  and  none  should  speak  lightly  of  their  fellow-crea 
tures,  and,  least  of  all,  of  any  thing  which  follows  the 
sea.  I  allow  the  Coquette  to  be  a  lively  boat  on  a 
wind,  and  a  real  scudder  going  large ;  but  one  should 
know  the  wright  that  fashioned  yonder  brigantine, 
before  he  ventures  to  say  that  any  vessel  in  Her 
Majesty's  fleet  can  hold  way  with  her,  when  she  is 
driven  hard." 

«'  These  opinions,  Trysail,  are  fitter  for  the  tales  of 
a  top,  than  for  the  mouth  of  one  who  walks  the  quar 
ter-deck." 

"  I  should  have  lived  to  little  purpose,  Captain 
Ludlow,  not  to  know  that  what  was  philosophy  in  my 
young  days,  is  not  philosophy  now.  They  say  the 
world  is  round,  which  is  my  own  opinion — first,  be 
cause  the  glorious  Sir  Francis  Drake,  and  divers 
other  Englishmen,  have  gone  in,  as  it  were,  at  one 
end,  and  out  at  the  other ;  no  less  than  several  sea 
men  of  other  nations,  to  say  nothing  of  one  Magellan, 
who  pretends  to  have  been  the  first  man  to  make  the 
passage,  which  I  take  to  be  neither  more  nor  less 
than  a  Portuguee  lie,  it  being  altogether  unreason 
able  to  suppose  that  a  Portuguee  should  do  what  an 
Englishman  had  not  yet  thought  of  doing ; — secondly, 
if  the  world  were  not  round,  or  some  such  shape,  why 
should  we  see  the  small  sails  of  a  ship  before  her 
courses,  or  why  should  her  truck  heave  up  into  the 
horizon  before  the  hull  ?  They  say,  moreover,  that 
the  world  turns  round,  which  is  no  doubt  true;  and 
it  is  just  as  true  that  its  opinions  turn  round  with  it, 
which  brings  me  to  the  object  of  my  remark — yon 
fellow  shows  more  of  his  broadside,  Sir,  than  com 
mon!  He  is  edging  in  for  the  land,  which  must  lie, 
hereaway,  on  our  larboard  beam,  in  order  to  get  into 
smoother  water.  This  tumbling  about  is  not  favorable 
to  youi  light  craft,  let  who  will  build  them." 

"  I  I  id  hoped  to  drive  him  off  the  coast.  Could 
we  £  aim  fairly  into  the  Gulf  Stream,  he  would  be 


274  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

ours,  for  he  is  too  low  in  the  water  to  escape  us  in 
the  short  seas.  We  must  force  him  into  blue  water, 
though  our  upper  spars  crack  in  the  struggle  !  Go 
aft,  Mr.  Hopper,  and  tell  the  officer  of  the  watch  to 
bring  the  ship's  head  up,  a  point  and  a  half,  to  the 
northward,  and  to  give  a  slight  pull  on  the  braces." 

"  What  a  mainsail  the  rogue  carries !     It  is  a 
broad  as  the  instructions  of  a  roving  commission,  with 
a  hoist  like  the  promotion  of  an  admiral's  son!    How 
every  thing  pulls  aboard  him  !  A  thorough-bred  sails 
that  brigantine,  let  him  come  whence  he  may !" 

"  I  think  we  near  him!  The  rough  water  is  help 
ing  us,  and  we  are  closing.  Steer  small,  fellow;  steer 
small]  You  see  the  color  of  his  mouldings  begins  to 
show,  when  he  lifts  on  the  seas." 

"  The  sun  touches  his  side — and  yet,  Captain  Lud- 
low,  you  may  be  right — for  here  is  a  man  in  his  fore- 
top,  plainly  enough  to  be  seen.  A  shot,  or  two,  among 
his  spars  and  sails,  might  now  do  service." 

Ludlow  affected  not  to  hear ;  but  the  first-lieute 
nant  having  come  on  the  forecastle,  seconded  this 
opinion,  by  remarking  that  their  position  would  in 
deed  enable  them  to  use  the  chase-gun,  without  losing 
any  distance.  As  Trysail  sustained  his  former  asser 
tion  by  truths  that  were  too  obvious  to  be  refuted, 
the  commander  of  the  cruiser  reluctantly  issued  an 
order  to  clear  away  the  forward  gun,  and  to  shift  it 
into  the  bridle-port.  The  interested  and  attentive 
seamen  were  not  long  in  performing  this  service ;  and 
a  report  was  quickly  made  to  the  captain,  that  the 
piece  was  ready. 

Ludlow  then  descended  from  his  post  on  the  night- 
head,  and  pointed  the  cannon  himself. 

"Knock  away  the  quoin,  entirely;"  he  said  to  the 
captain  of  the  gun,  when  he  had  got  the  range; 
"  now  mind  her  when  she  lifts,  forward;  keep  the 
ship  steady,  Sir — fire!" 

Those  gentleman  *  who  live  at  home  at  ease/  are 


THE    WATER- WITCH. 

often  surprised  to  read  of  combats,  in  which  so  much 
powder,  and  hundreds  and  even  thousands  of  shot, 
are  expended,  with  so  little  loss  of  human  life ;  while 
a  struggle  on  the  land,  of  less  duration,  and  seemingly 
->f  less  obstinacy,  shall  sweep  away  a  multitude.  The 
ecret  of  the  difference  lies  in  the  uncertainty  of 
im,  on  an  element  as  restless  as  the  sea.  The  largest 
ship  is  rarely  quite  motionless,  when  on  the  open 
ocean ;  and  it  is  not  necessary  to  tell  the  reader, 
that  the  smallest  variation  in  the  direction  of  a  gun 
at  its  muzzle,  becomes  magnified  to  many  yards  at 
the  distance  of  a  few  hundred  feet.  Marine  gunnery 
has  no  little  resemblance  to  the  skill  of  the  fowler ; 
since  a  calculation  for  a  change  in  the  position  of  the 
object  must  commonly  be  made  in  both  cases,  with 
the  additional  embarrassment  on  the  part  of  the  sea 
man,  of  an  allowance  for  a  complicated  movement 
in  the  piece  itself. 

How  far  the  gun  of  the  Coquette  was  subject 
to  the  influence  of  these  causes,  or  how  far  the  desire 
of  her  captain  to  protect  those  whom  he  believed  to 
be  on  board  the  brigantine,  had  an  effect  on  the  di 
rection  taken  by  its  shot,  will  probably  never  be 
known.  It  is  certain,  however,  that  when  the  stream 
of  fire,  followed  by  its  curling  cloud,  had  gushed  out 
upon  the  water,  fifty  eyes  sought  in  vain  to  trace 
the  course  of  the  iron  messenger  among  the  sails 
and  rigging  of  the  Water- Witch.  The  symmetry  of 
her  beautiful  rig  was  undisturbed,  and  the  unconscious 
fabric  still  glided  over  the  waves,  with  its  customary 
ease  and  velocity.  Ludlow  had  a  reputation,  among 
his  crew,  for  some  skill  in  the  direction  of  a  gun. 
The  failure,  therefore,  in  no  degree  aided  in  changing 
the  opinions  of  the  common  men  concerning  the  char 
acter  of  the  chase.  Many  shook  their  heads,  and 
more  than  one  veteran  tar,  as  he  paced  his  narrow 
limits  with  both  hands  thrust  into  the  bosom  of  his 
iacket,  was  heard  to  utter  his  belief  of  the  inefficacy 


278  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

of  ordinary  shot,  in  bringing-to  that  brigantine.  It 
was  necessary,  however  to  repeat  the  experiment, 
for  the  sake  of  appearances.  The  gun  was  several 
times  discharged,  and  always  with  the  same  want 
of  success. 

"  There  is  little  use  in  wasting  our  powder,  at  this 
istance,  and  with  so  heavy  a  sea,"  said  Ludlow 
quitting  the  cannon,  after  a  fifth  and  fruitless  essay 
"  I  shall  fire  no  more.  Look  at  your  sails,  gentlemen 
and  see  that  every  thing  draws.  We  must  conquer 
with  our  heels,  and  let  the  artillery  rest. — Secure 
the  gun." 

"  The  piece  is  ready,  Sir ;"  observed  its  captain, 
presuming  on  his  known  favor  with  the  commander, 
though  he  qualified  the  boldness  by  taking  off  his 
hat,  in  a  sufficiently  respectful  manner — "  'Tis  a  pity 
to  balk  it!" 

"  Fire  it,  yourself,  then,  and  return  the  piece  to 
its  port ;"  carelessly  returned  the  captain,  willing  to 
show  that  others  could  be  as  unlucky  as  himself. 

The  men  quartered  at  the  gun,  left  alone,  busied 
themselves  in  executing  the  order. 

"  Run  in  the  quoin,  and,  blast  the  brig,  give  her 
a  point-blanker!"  said  the  gruff  old  seaman,  who 
was  intrusted  with  a  local  authority  over  that  par 
ticular  piece.  "None  of  your  geometry  calculations, 
for  me!" 

The  crew  obeyed,  and  the  match  was  instantly 
applied.  A  rising  sea,  however,  aided  the  object  of 
the  directly-minded  old  tar,  or  our  narration  of  the 
exploits  of  the  piece  would  end  with  the  discharge, 
since  its  shot  would  otherwise  have  inevitably  plunged 
into  a  wave,  within  a  few  yards  of  its  muzzle.  The 
bows  of  the  ship  rose  with  the  appearance  of  the 
smoke,  the  usual  brief  expectation  followed,  and  then 
fragments  of  wood  were  seen  flying  above  the  top 
mast-studding-sail-boom  of  the  brigantine,  which,  at 
the  same  time,  flew  forward,  carrying  with  it,  and  en- 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  277 

drely  deranging,  the  two  important  sails  that  depend- 
fid  on  the  spar  for  support. 

"  So  much  for  plain  sailing!"  cried  the  delighted 

tar,  slapping  the  breach  of  the  gun,  affectionately. 

•'  Witch  or  no  witch,  there  go  two  of  her  jackets  at 

nee;  and,  by  the  captain's  good- will,  we  shall  shortly 

ake  off  some  more  of  her  clothes !   In  spunge " 

"  The  order  is  to  run  the  gun  aft,  and  secure  it  ;'• 
said  a  merry  midshipman,  leaping  on  the  heel  of  tht 
bowsprit  to  gaze  at  the  confusion  on  board  the  chase. 
"  The  rogue  is  nimble  enough,  in  saving  his  canvas  !" 

There  was,  in  truth,  necessity  for  exertion,  on  the 
part  of  those  who  governed  the  movements  of  the 
brigantine.  The  two  sails  that  were  rendered  tem 
porarily  useless,  were  of  great  importance,  with  the 
wind  over  the  taffrail.  The  distance  between  the 
two  vessels  did  riot  exceed  a  mile,  and  the  danger  oi 
lessening  it  was  now  too  obvious  to  admit  of  delay. 
The  ordinary  movements  of  seamen,  in  critical  mo 
ments,  are  dictated  by  a  quality  that  resembles  in 
stinct,  more  than  thought.  The  constant  hazards  of 
a  dangerous  and  delicate  profession,  in  which  delay 
may  prove  fatal,  and  in  which  life,  character,  and 
property  are  so  often  dependent  on  the  self-possession 
and  resources  of  him  who  commands,  beget,  in  time, 
so  keen  a  knowledge  of  the  necessary  expedients,  as 
to  cause  it  to  approach  a  natural  quality. 

The  studding-sails  of  the  Water- Witch  were  no 
sooner  fluttering  in  the  air,  than  the  hrigantine 
slightly  changed  her  course,  like  some  bird  whose 
wing  has  been  touched  by  the  fowler ;  and  her  head 
was  seen  inclining  as  much  to  the  south,  as  the  mo 
ment  before  it  had  pointed  northward.  The  varia 
tion,  trifling  as  it  was,  brought  the  wind  on  the  oppo 
site  quarter,  and  caused  the  boom  that  distended  her 
mainsail  to  gybe.  At  the  same  instant,  the  studding- 
sails,  which  had  been  flapping  under  the  lee  of  this 
Y 


278  THE    Vv/.i'ER-'WITCH. 

vast  sheet  of  canvas,  swelled  to  their  utmost  tension » 
and  the  vessel  lost  little,  if  any,  of  the  power  which 
urged  her  through  the  water.  Even  while  this  evo 
lution  was  so  rapidly  performed,  men  were  seen  aloft, 
nimbly  employed,  as  it  has  been  already  expressed 
by  the  observant  little  midshipman,  in  securing  the 
crippled  sails. 

"  A  rogue  has  a  quick  wit,"  said  Trysail,  whose 
critical  eye  suffered  no  movement  of  the  chase  to 
escape  him ;  "  and  he  has  need  of  it,  sail  from  what 
haven  he  may  !  Yon  brigantine  is  prettily  handled ! 
Little  have  we  gained  by  our  fire,  but  the  gunner's 
account  of  ammunition  expended  ;  and  little  hae  the 
free-trader  lost,  but  a  studding-sail-boom,  which  will 
work  up  very  well,  yet,  into  top-gallant-yards,  and 
other  light  spars,  for  such  a  cockle-shell." 

"  It  is  something  gained,  to  force  him  off  the  land 
into  rougher  water;"  Ludlow  mildly  answered.  "  I 
think  we  see  his  quarter-pieces  more  plainly,  than 
before  the  gun  was  used." 

"  No  doubt,  Sir,  no  doubt.  I  got  a  glimpse  of  his 
lower  dead-eyes,  a  minute  ago  ;  but  I  have  been 
near  enough  to  see  the  saucy  look  of  the  hussy  under 
his  bowsprit  ;  yet  there  goes  the  brigantine,  at 
large!" 

"  I  am  certain  that  we  are  closing ; "  thoughtfully 
returned  Ludlow.  "  Hand  me  a  glass,  quarter 
master." 

Trysail  watched  the  countenance  of  his  young 
commander,  as  he  examined  the  chase  with  the  aid 
of  the  instrument ;  and  he  thought  he  read  strong 
discontent  in  his  features,  when  the  other  laid  it 
aside 

"  Does  he  show  no  signs  of  coming  back  to  his 
llegiance,  Sir? — or  does  the  rogue  hold  out  in  obsti 
nacy  ?" 

"  The  figure  on  his  poop  is  the  bold  man  who  ven 
tured  on  board  the  Coquette,  and  who  now  seems 


THE   WATER-Wl'TCH.  27$ 

juite  as  much  at  his  ease  as  when  he  exhibited  his 
effrontery  here ! " 

"  There  is  a  look  of  deep  water  about  that  rogue ; 
and  I  thought  Her  Majesty  had  gained  a  prize,  when 
he  first  put  foot  on  our  decks.  You  are  right  enough, 
Sir,  in  calling  him  a  bold  one !  The  fellow's  impu 
dence  would  unsettle  the  discipline  of  a  whole  ship's 
company,  though  every  other  man  were  an  officer, 
and  all  the  rest  priests.  He  took  up  as  much  room 
in  walking  the  quarter-deck,  as  a  ninety  in  waring ; 
and  the  truck  is  not  driven  on  the  head  of  that  top 
gallant-mast,  half  as  hard  as  the  hat  is  riveted  to 
his  head.  The  fellow  has  no  reverence  for  a  pen 
nant  !  I  managed,  in  shifting  pennants  at  sunset,  to 
make  the  fly  of  the  one  that  came  down  flap  in  his 
impudent  countenance,  by  way  of  hint;  and  he  took 
it  as  a  Dutchman  minds  a  signal — that  is,  as  a  ques 
tion  to  be  answered  in  the  next  watch.  A  little 
polish  got  on  the  quarter-deck  of  a  man-of-war, 
would  make  a  philosopher  of  the  rogue,  and  fit  him 
for  any  company,  short  of  heaven !" 

"  There  goes  a  new  boom,  aloft!"  cried  Ludlow, 
interrupting  the  discursive  discourse  of  the  master. 
"  He  is  bent  on  getting  in  with  the  shore." 

"  If  these  puffs  come  much  heavier,"  returned  the 
master,  whose  opinions  of  the  chase  vacillated  with 
his  professional  feelings,  "•  we  shall  have  him  at  our 
own  play,  and  try  the  qualities  of  his  brigantine 
The  sea  has  a  green  spot  to  windward,  and  ther 
are  strong  symptoms  of  a  squall  on  the  water.  One 
can  almost  see  into  the  upper  world,  with  an  air 
clear  as  this.  Your  northers  sweep  the  mists  oft 
America,  and  leave  both  sea  and  land  bright  as  a 
gchool-boy's  face,  before  the  tears  have  dimmed  it, 
after  the  first  flogging.  You  have  sailed  in  the 
southern  seas,  Captain  Ludlow,  I  know  ;  for  we 
were  shipmates  among  the  islands,  years  that  are 
past :  but  I  never  heard  whether  you  have  run  the 


280  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

Gibralter  passage,  and  seen  the  blue  water  that  lies 
among  the  Italy  mountains?" 

"  I  made  a  cruise  against  the  Barbary  states, 
when  a  lad ;  and  we  had  business  that  took  us  to 
the  northern  shore." 

"  Ay  !  'Tis  your  northern  shore,  I  mean !  Thers 
is  not  a  foot  of  it  all,  from  the  rock  at  the  entrance 
*o  the  Fare  of  Messina,  that  eye  of  mine  hath  not 
seen.  No  want  of  look-outs  and  land-marks  in  that 
quarter  !  Here  we  are  close  aboard  of  America, 
which  lies  some  eight  or  ten  leagues  there-away  to 
the  northward  of  us,  and  some  forty  astern  ;  and  yet, 
if  it  were  not  for  our  departure,  with  the  color  of 
the  water,  and  a  knowledge  of  the  soundings,  one 
might  believe  himself  in  the  middle  of  the  Atlantic. 
Many  a  good  ship  plumps  upon  America  before  she 
knows  where  she  is  going;  while  in  yon  sea,  you 
may  run  for  a  mountain,  with  its  side  in  full  view, 
four-and-twenty  hours  on  a  stretch,  before  you  see 
the  town  at  its  foot." 

"  Nature  has  compensated  for  the  difference,  in 
defending  the  approach  to  this  coast,  by  the  Gulf 
Stream,  with  its  floating  weeds  and  different  tempe 
rature  ;  while  the  lead  may  feel  its  way  in  the  dark 
est  night,  for  no  roof  of  a  house  is  more  gradual  than 
the  ascent  of  this  shore,  from  a  hundred  fathoms  to 
a  sandy  beach." 

"  I  said  many  a  good  ship,  Captain  Ludlow,  and 
not  good  navigator. — No — no — your  thorough-bred 
knows  the  difference  between  green  water  and  blue, 
as  well  as  between  a  hand-lead  and  the  deep-sea. 
But  I  remember  to  have  missed  an  observation,  once, 
when  running  for  Genoa,  before  a  mistrail.  There 
,vas  a  likelihood  of  making  our  land-fall  in  the  night, 
nd  the  greater  the  need  of  knowing  the  ship's  po 
sition.  I  have  often  thought,  Sir,  that  the  ocean  was 
like  human  life, — a  blind  track  for  all  that  is  ahead, 
and  none  of  the  clearest  as  respects  that  which  has 


THE   WATER- WITCH.  281 

been  passed  over.  Many  a  man  runs  headlong  to  hia 
own  destruction,  and  many  a  ship  steers  for  a  reef 
under  a  press  of  canvas.  To-morrow  is  a  fog,  into 
which  none  of  us  can  see ;  and  even  the  present  time 
is  little  better  than  thick  weather,  into  which  we 
look  without  getting  much  information.  Well,  as  1 
was  observing,  here  lay  our  course,  with  the  wind  as 
near  aft  as  need  be,  blowing  much  as  at  present ;  for 
your  French  mistrail  has  a  family  likeness  to  the 
American  norther.  We  had  the  main-top-gallant-sail 
set,  without  studding-sails,  for  we  began  to  think  of 
the  deep  bight  in  which  Genoa  is  stowed,  and  the 
sun  had  dipped  more  than  an  hour.  As  our  good 
fortune  would  have  it,  clouds  and  mistrails  do  not 
agree  long,  and  we  got  a  clear  horizon.  Here  lay  a 
mountain  of  snow,  northerly,  a  little  west,  and  there 
lay  another,  southerly  with  easting.  The  best  ship 
in  Queen  Anne's  navy  could  not  have  fetched  either 
in-a  day's  run,  and  yet  there  we  saw  them,  as  plainly 
as  if  anchored  under  their  lee !  A  look  at  the  chart 
soon  gave  us  an  insight  into  our  situation.  The  first 
were  the  Alps,  as  they  call  them,  being  as  I  suppose 
the  French  for  apes,  of  which  there  are  no  doubt 
plenty  in  those  regions ;  and  the  other  were  the  high 
lands  of  Corsica,  both  being  as  white,  in  midsummer, 
as  the  hair  of  a  man  of  fourscore.  You  see,  Sir,  we 
had  only  to  set  the  two,  by  compass,  to  know,  within 
a  league  or  two,  where  we  were.  So  we  ran  till 
midnight,  and  hove-to ;  and  in  the  morning  we  took 
the  light  to  feel  for  our  haven " 

"  The  brigantine  is  gybing,  again  !"  cried  Ludlow. 
"  He  is  determined  to  shoal  his  water ! " 

The  master  glanced  an  eye  around  the  horizon, 
nd  then  pointed  steadily  towards  the  north.     Lud- 
.ow  observed  the  gesture,  and,  turning  his  head,  he 
Was  at  no  loss  to  read  its  meaning. 
Y2 


282  THE    WATER-WITCH. 


CHAPTEE  XXL 

" — I  am  gone,  Sir, 

And,  anon,  Sir, 

I'll  be  with  you  again." 

CLOWN  IN  TWELFTH  NIGHT. 

ALTHOUGH  it  is  contrary  to  the  apparent  evider  ce 
of  our  senses,  there  is  no  truth  more  certain  than 
that  the  course  of  most  gales  of  wind  comes  from 
the  leeward.  The  effects  of  a  tempest  shall  be  felt, 
for  hours,  at  a  point  that  is  seemingly  near  its  termi 
nation,  before  they  are  witnessed  at  another,  that  ap 
pears  to  be  nearer  its  source.  Experience  has  also 
shown  that  a  storm  is  more  destructive,  at  or  near  its 
place  of  actual  commencement,  than  at  that  whence 
it  may  seem  to  come.  The  easterly  gales  that  so 
often  visit  the  coasts  of  the  republic,  commit  their 
ravages  in  the  bays  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  or 
along  the  sounds  of  the  Carolinas,  hours  before  their 
existence  is  known  in  the  states  further  east;  and 
the  same  wind,  which  is  a  tempest  at  Hatteras,  be 
comes  softened  to  a  breeze,  near  the  Penobscot. 
There  is,  however,  little  mystery  in  this  apparent 
phenomenon.  The  vacuum  which  has  been  created 
in  the  air,  and  which  is  the  origin  of  all  winds,  must 
be  filled  first  from  the  nearest  stores  of  the  atmo 
sphere  ;  and  as  each  region  contributes  to  produce 
the  equilibrium,  it  must,  in  return,  receive  other  sup 
plies  from  those  which  lie  beyond.  Were  a  given 
quantity  of  water  to  be  suddenly  abstracted  from  the 
sea,  the  empty  space  would  be  replenished  by  a  tor 
rent  from  the  nearest  surrounding  fluid,  whose  level 
would  be  restored,  in  succession,  by  supplies  that 
were  less  and  less  violently  contributed.  Were  the 
abstraction  made  on  a  shoal,  or  near  the  land,  the 
flow  would  be  greatest  from  that  quarter  where  the 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  283 

fluid  had  the  greatest  force,  and  with  it  would  con< 
sequently  come  the  current. 

But  while  there  is  so  close  an  affinity  between 
the  two  fluids,  the  workings  of  the  viewless  winds 
are,  in  their  nature,  much  less  subject  to  the  powers 
of  human  comprehension  than  those  of  the  sister  ele 
ment.  The  latter  are  frequently  subject  to  the 
direct  and  manifest  influence  of  the  former,  while  the 
effects  produced  by  the  ocean  on  the  air  are  hid  from 
our  knowledge  by  the  subtle  character  of  the  agency. 
V"ague  and  erratic  currents,  it  is  true,  are  met  in  the 
waters  of  the  ocean ;  but  their  origin  is  easily  referred 
to  the  action  of  the  winds,  while  we  often  remain  in 
uncertainty  as  to  the  immediate  causes  which  give 
birth  to  the  breezes  themselves.  Thus  the  mariner, 
even  while  the  victim  of  the  irresistible  waves,  studies 
the  heavens  as  the  known  source  from  whence  the 
danger  comes ;  and  while  he  struggles  fearfully,  amid 
the  strife  of  the  elements,  to  preserve  the  balance  of 
the  delicate  and  fearful  machine  he  governs,  he  well 
knows  that  the  one  which  presents  the  most  visible, 
and  to  a  landsman  much  the  most  formidable  object 
of  apprehension,  is  but  the  instrument  of  the  unseen 
and  powerful  agent  that  heaps  the  water  on  his  path. 

It  is  in  consequence  of  this  difference  in  power, 
and  of  the  mystery  that  envelops  the  workings  of  the 
atmosphere,  that,  in  all  ages,  seamen  have  been  the 
subjects  of  superstition,  in  respect  to  the  winds. 
There  is  always  more  or  less  of  the  dependency  of 
ignorance,  in  the  manner  with  which  they  have  re 
garded  the  changes  of  that  fickle  element.  Even  the 
mariners  of  our  own  times  are  not  exempt  from  this 
weakness.  The  thoughtless  ship-boy  is  reproved  if 
his  whistle  be  heard  in  the  howling  of  the  gale,  and 
the  officer  sometimes  betrays  a  feeling  of  uneasiness, 
if  at  such  a  moment  he  should  witness  any  violation 
of  the  received  opinions  of  his  profession.  He  finds 
himself  in  the  situation  of  one  whose  ears  have  drunk 


284  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

in  legends  of  supernatural  appearances,  which  a  befc 
ter  instruction  has  taught  him  to  condemn,  and  who, 
when  placed  in  situations  to  awaken  their  recollec 
tion,  rinds  the  necessity  of  drawing  upon  his  reason, 
to  quiet  emotions  that  he  might  hesitate  to  acknow- 
edge. 

When  Trysail  directed  the  attention  of  his  ycung 
commander  to  the  heavens,  however,  it  was  more 
with  the  intelligence  of  an  experienced  mariner,  than 
with  any  of  the  sensations  to  which  allusion  has  just 
been  made.  A  cloud  had  suddenly  appeared  on  the 
water,  and  long  ragged  portions  of  the  vapor  were 
pointing  from  it,  in  a  manner  to  give  it  what  seamen 
term  a  windy  appearance. 

"  We  shall  have  more  than  we  want,  with  this 
canvas  !"  said,  the  master,  after  both  he  and  his  com 
mander  had  studied  the  appearance  of  the  mist,  for 
a  sufficient  time.  "  That  fellow  is  a  mortal  enemy 
of  lofty  sails ;  he  likes  to  see  nothing  but  naked  sticks, 
up  in  his  neighbourhood ! " 

"I  should  think  his  appearance  will  force  the 
brigantine  to  shorten  sail;"  returned  the  Captain. 
"  We  will  hold-on  to  the  last,  while  he  must  begin  to 
take  in  soon,  or  the  squall  will  come  upon  him  too 
fast  for  a  light-handed  vessel." 

"  'Tis  a  cruiser's  advantage !  And  yet  the  rogue 
shows  no  signs  of  lowering  a  single  cloth ! " 

"  We  will  look  to  our  own  spars ; "  said  Ludlow, 
turning  to  the  lieutenant  of  the  watch.  "  Call  the 
people  up,  Sir,  and  see  all  ready,  for  yonder  cloud." 

The  order  was  succeeded  by  the  customary  hoarse 
summons  of  the  boatswain,  wbo  prefaced  the  effort 
of  his  lungs  by  a  long,  shrill  winding  of  his  call,  above 
the  hatchways  of  the  ship.  The  cry  of  "  all  hands 
shorten  sail,  ahoy !"  soon  brought  the  crew  from  the 
depths  of  the  vessel  to  her  upper  deck.  Each  train 
ed  seaman  silently  took  his  station;  and  after  the 
ropes  were  cleared,  and  the  few  necessary  prepara- 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  285 

tions  made,  all  stood  in  attentive  silence,  awaiting  the 
sounds  that  might  next  proceed  from  the  trumpet, 
which  the  first-lieutenant  had  now  assumed  in  person. 

The  superiority  of  sailing,  which  a  ship  fitted  for 
war  possesses  over  one  employed  in  commerce,  pro 
ceeds  from  a  variety  of  causes.  The  first  is  in  the 
construction  of  the  hull,  which  in  the  one  is  as  justly 
fitted,  as  the  art  of  naval  architecture  will  allow,  to 
the  double  purposes  of  speed  and  buoyancy ;  while  in 
the  other,  the  desire  of  gain  induces  great  sacrifices 
of  these  important  objects,  in  order  that  the  vessel 
may  be  burthensome.  Next  comes  the  difference  in 
the  rig,  which  is  not  only  more  square,  but  more 
lofty,  in  a  ship  of  war  than  in  a  trader ;  because  the 
greater  force  of  the  crew  of  the  former  enables  them 
to  manage  both  spars  and  sails  that  are  far  heavier 
than  any  ever  used  in  the  latter.  Then  comes  the 
greater  ability  of  the  cruiser  to  make  and  shorten 
sail,  since  a  ship  manned  by  one  or  two  hundred  men 
may  safely  profit  by  the  breeze  to  the  last  moment, 
while  one  manned  by  a  dozen  often  loses  hours  of 
a  favorable  wind,  from  the  weakness  of  her  crew. 
This  explanation  will  enable  the  otherwise  uninitia 
ted  reader  to  understand  the  reason  why  Ludlow 
had  hoped  the  coming  squall  would  aid  his  designs 
on  the  chase. 

To  express  ourselves  in  nautical  language,  '  the 
Coquette  held  on  to  the  last.'  Ragged  streaks  of 
vapor  were  whirling  about  in  the  air,  within  a  fear 
ful  proximity  to  the  lofty  and  light  sails,  and  the 
foam  on  the  water  had  got  so  near  the  ship,  a*s  al 
ready  to  efface  her  wake ;  when  Ludlow,  who  had 
watched  the  progress  of  the  cloud  with  singular  cool 
ness,  made  a  sign  to  his  subordinate  that  the  proper 
instant  had  arrived. 

"In,  of  all!"  shouted  through  the  trumpet,  was 
the  only  command  necessary ;  for  officers  and  crew 
ivere  well  instructed  in  their  duty. 


286  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

The  words  had  no  sooner  quitted  the  lips  of  the 
lieutenant,  than  the  steady  roar  of  the  sea  was 
drowned  in  the  flapping  of  canvas.  Tacks,  sheets, 
and  halyards,  went  together;  and,  in  less  than  a 
minute,  the  cruiser  showed  naked  spars  and  whistling 
ropes,  where  so  lately  had  been  seen  a  cloud  of 
snow-white  cloth.  All  her  steering-sails  came  in  to 
gether,  and  the  lofty  canvas  was  furled  to  her  top 
sails.  The  latter  still  stood,  and  the  vessel  received 
the  weight  of  the  little  tempest  on  their  broad  sur 
faces.  The  gallant  ship  stood  the  shock  nobly;  but, 
as  the  wind  came  over  the  taffrail,  its  force  had  far 
less  influence  on  the  hull,  than  on  the  other  occasion 
already  described.  The  danger,  now,  was  only  for 
her  spars ;  and  these  were  saved  by  the  watchful, 
though  bold,  vigilance  of  her  captain. 

Ludlow  was  no  sooner  certain  that  the  cruiser  felt 
the  force  of  the  wind,  and  to  gain  this  assurance 
needed  but  a  few  moments,  than  he  turned  his  eager 
look  on  the  brigantine.  To  the  surprise  of  all  who 
witnessed  her  temerity,  the  Water- Witch  still  showed 
all  her  light  sails.  Swiftly  as  the  ship  was  now 
driven  through  the  water,  its  velocity  was  greatly 
outstripped  by  that  of  the  wind.  The  signs  of  the 
passing  squall  were  already  visible  on  the  sea,  for 
half  the  distance  between  the  two  vessels ;  and  still 
the  chase  showed  no  consciousness  of  its  approach. 
Her  commander  had  evidently  studied  its  effects  on 
the  Coquette ;  and  he  awaited  the  shock,  with  the 
coolness  of  one  accustomed  to  depend  on  his  own  re 
sources,  and  able  to  estimate  the  force  with  which 
he  had  to  contend. 

"  If  he  hold-on  a  minute  longer,  he  will  get  more 
than  he  can  bear,  and  away  will  go  all  his  kites,  like 
smoke  from  the  muzzle  of  a  gun ! "  muttered  Try- 
sail.    "  Ah  !  there  come  down  his  studding-sails — ha 
settle  away  the  mainsail — in  royal,  and  top-gallant 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  287 

Bail,  with  topsail  on  the  cap ! — The  rascals  are  mm 
ble  as  pickpockets  in  a  crowd !" 

The  honest  master  has  sufficiently  described  the 
precautions  taken  on  board  of  the  brigantine.  No 
thing  was  furled;  but  as  every  thing  was  hauled 
up,  or  lowered,  the  squall  had  little  to  waste  its  fury 
on.  The  diminished  surfaces  of  the  sails  protected 
the  spars,  while  the  canvas  was  saved  by  the  aid  of 
cordage.  After  a  few  moments  of  pause,  half-a-dozen 
men  were  seen  busied  in  more  effectually  securing 
the  few  upper  and  lighter  sails. 

But  though  the  boldness  with  which  the  '  Skimmer 
of  the  Seas'  carried  sail  to  the  last,  was  justified  by 
the  result,  still  the  effects  of  the  increased  wind  and 
rising  waves  on  the  progress  of  the  two  vessels,  grew 
more  sensible.  While  the  little  and  low  brigantine 
began  to  labor  and  roll,  the  Coquette  rode  the  ele 
ment  with  buoyancy,  and  consequently  with  less  re 
sistance  from  the  water.  Twenty  minutes,  during 
which  the  force  of  the  wind  was  but  little  lessened, 
brought  the  cruiser  so  near  the  chase,  as  to  enable 
her  crew  to  distinguish  most  of  the  smaller  objects 
that  were  visible  above  her  ridge-ropes. 

"  Blow  winds,  and  crack  your  cheeks !"  said  Lud- 
low,  in  an  under  tone,  the  excitement  of  the  chase 
growing  with  the  hopes  of  success.  "  I  ask  but  one 
half-hour,  and  then  shift  at  your  pleasure  ! " 

"  Blow,  good  devil,  and  you  shall  have  the  cook ! " 
muttered  Trysail,  quoting  a  very  different  author. 
"  Another  glass  will  bring  us  within  hail." 

"  The  squall  is  leaving  us ! "  interrupted  the  cap 
tain.  "  Pack  on  the  ship,  again,  Mr.  Luff,  from  her 
trucks  to  her  ridge-ropes !" 

The  whistle  of  the  boatswain  was  again  heard 
at  the  hatchways,  and  the  hoarse  summons  of  '  all 
hands  make  sail,  ahoy  !'  once  more  called  the  people 
to  their  stations.  The  sails  were  set,  with  a  rapidity 
which  nearly  equalled  the  speed  with  which  (hey 


288  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

had  been  taken  in ;  and  the  violence  of  the  breeze 
was  scarcely  off  the  ship,  before  its  complicated  vol 
umes  of  canvas  were  spread,  to  catch  what  remain 
ed.  On  the  other  hand,  the  chase,  even  more  hardy 
than  the  cruiser,  did  not  wait  for  the  end  of  the 
squall;  but,  profiting  by  the  notice  given  by  the 
latter,  the  *  Skimmer  of  the  Seas'  began  to  sway 
his  yards  aloft,  while  the  sea  was  still  white  with 
foam. 

"  The  quick-sighted  rogue  knows  we  are  done 
with  it,"  said  Trysail ;  "  and  he  is  getting  ready  for 
his  own  turn.  We  gain  but  little  of  him,  notwith 
standing  our  muster  of  hands." 

The  fact  was  too  true  to  be  denied,  for  the  brigan 
tine  was  again  under  all  her  canvas,  before  the  shi]> 
had  sensibly  profited  by  her  superior  physical  force. 
It  was  at  this  moment,  when,  perhaps,  in  consequence 
of  the  swell  on  the  water,  the  Coquette  might  have 
possessed  some  small  advantage,  that  the  wind  sud 
denly  failed.  The  squall  had  been  its  expiring  effort; 
and,  within  an  hour  after  the  two  vessels  had  again 
made  sail,  the  canvas  was  flapping  against  the  masts, 
in  a  manner  to  throw  back,  in  eddies,  a  force  as  great 
as  that  it  received.  The  sea  fell  fast,  and  ere  the  end 
of  the  last  or  forenoon  watch,  the  surface  of  the  ocean 
was  agitated  only  by  those  long  undulating  swells, 
that  seldom  leave  it  entirely  without  motion.  For 
some  little  time,  there  were  fickle  currents  of  air 
playing  in  various  directions  about  the  ship,  but  al 
ways  in  sufficient  force  to  urge  her  slowly  through  the 
water ;  and  then,  when  the  equilibrium  of  the  ele 
ment  seemed  established,  there  was  a  total  calm. 
During  the  half-hour  of  the, baffling  winds,  the  brig 
antine  had  been  a  gainer,  though  not  enongh  to  carry 
her  entirely  beyond  the  reach  of  the  cruiser's  guns. 

"  Haul  up  the  courses ! "  said  Ludlow,  when  the 
last  breath  of  wind  had  been  felt  on  the  ship,  and 
quitting  the  gun  where  he  had  long  stood,  watching 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  289 

the  movements  of  the  chase.  "  Get  the  boats  into  the 
water,  Mr.  Luff,  and  arm  their  crews." 

The  young  commander  issued  this  order,  which 
needed  no  interpreter  to  explain  its  object,  firmly, 
but  in  sadness.  His  face  was  thoughtful,  and  his  whole 
air  was  that  of  a  man  who  yielded  to  an  .imperative 
but  an  unpleasant  duty.  When  he  had  spoken,  he 
signed  to  the  attentive  Alderman  and  his  friend  to 
follow,  and  entered  his  cabin. 

"  There  is  no  alternative,"  continued  Ludlow,  as 
he  laid  the  glass,  which  so  often  that  morning  had 
been  at  his  eye,  on  the  table,  and  threw  himself  into 
a  chair.  "  This  rover  must  be  seized  at  every  haz 
ard,  and  here  is  a  favorable  occasion  to  carry  him 
by  boarding.  Twenty  minutes  will  bring  us  to  his 
side,  and  five  more  will  put  us  in  possession ;  but " 

"  You  think  the  Skimmer  is  not  a  man  to  receive 
such  visiters  with  an  old  woman's  welcome ;"  pithily 
observed  Myndert. 

"  I  much  mistake  the  man,  if  he  yield  so  beautiful 
a  vessel,  peacefully.  Duty  is  imperative  on  a  sea 
man,  Alderman  Van  Beverout ;  and,  much  as  I  la 
ment  the  circumstance,  it  must  be  obeyed." 

"  I  understand  you,  Sir.  Captain  Ludlow  has  two 
mistresses,  Queen  Anne  and  the  daughter  of  old 
Etienne  de  Barberie.  He  fears  both.  When  the 
debts  exceed  the  means  of  payment,  it  would  seem 
wise  to  offer  to  compound ;  and,  in  this  case,  Her 
Majesty  and  my  niece  may  be  said  to  stand  in  the 
case  of  creditors." 

"  You  mistake  my  meaning,  Sir ;"  said  Ludlow, 
proudly.  "  There  can  be  no  composition  between  a 
faithful  officer  and  his  duty,  nor  do  I  acknowledge 
more  than  one  mistress  in  my  ship — but  seamen  are 
little  to  be  trusted  in  the  moment  of  success,  and 
with  their  passions  awakened  by  resistance. — Alder 
man  Van  Bevercut.  will  you  accompany  the  party 
and  serve  as  mediator'?" 
Z 


290  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

"  Pikes  and  hand-grenades !  Am  I  a  fit  subjec-  fof 
mounting  the  sides  of  a  smuggler,  with  a  broadsv  ^rd 
between  my  teeth !  If  you  will  put  me  into  the 
smallest  and  most  peaceable  of  your  boats,  with  a 
crew  of  two  boys,  that  I  can  control  with  the  author 
ity  of  a  magistrate,  and  covenant  to  remain  her 
with  your  three  topsails  aback,  having  always  a  flag 
of  truce  at  each  mast,  I  will  bear  the  olive-branch  to 
the  brigantine,  but  not  a  word  of  menace.  If  report 
speaks  true,  your  «  Skimmer  of  the  Seas'  is  no  lover 
of  threats,  and  Heaven  forbid  that  I  should  do  vio 
lence  to  any  man's  habits !  I  will  go  forth  as  your 
turtle-dove,  Captain  Ludlow ;  but  not  one  foot  will  I 
proceed  as  your  Goliath." 

"  And  you  equally  refuse  endeavoring  to  avert  hos 
tilities  ?"  continued  Ludlow,  turning  his  look  on  the 
Patroon  of  Kinderhook. 

"  I  am  the  Queen's  subject,  and  ready  to  aid  in 
supporting  the  laws ;"  quietly  returned  OlofF  Van 
Staats. 

"  Patroon  !"  exclaimed  his  watchful  friend;  "you 
know  not  what  you  say !  If  there  were  question  of 
an  inroad  of  Mohawks,  or  an  invasion  from  the  Cana- 
das,  the  case  would  differ ;  but  this  is  only  a  trifling 
difference,  concerning  a  small  balance  in  the  revenue 
duties,  which  had  better  be  left  to  your  tide-waiter* 
and  the  other  wild-cats  of  the  law.  If  Parliament 
will  put  temptation  before  our  eyes,  let  the  sin  light 
on  their  own  heads.  Human  nature  is  weak,  and 
the  vanities  of  our  system  are  so  many  inducements 
to  overlook  unreasonable  regulations.  I  say,  there 
fore,  it  is  better  to  remain  in  peace,  on  board  this 
ship,  where  our  characters  will  be  as  safe  as  oui 
bones,  and  trust  to  Providence  for  what  will  hap 
pen." 

« I  am  the  Queen's  subject,  and  ready  to  uphold 
her  dignity;"  repeated  Oloff,  firmly. 

"I  will  trust  you,  Sir;"  said  Ludlow,  taking  his 


THE   WATER-WITCH.  291 

rival  by  the  arm,  and  leading  him  into  his  ow/i  state 
room. 

The  conference  was  soon  ended,  and  a  midshipman 
shoi  tly  after  reported  that  the  boats  were  ready  for 
service.  The  master  was  next  summoned  to  the  cabin 
and  admitted  to  the  private  apartment  of  his  com 
mander.  Ludlow  then  proceeded  to  the  deck,  where 
he  made  the  final  dispositions  for  the  attack.  The 
ship  was  left  in  charge  of  Mr.  Luff,  with  an  injunc 
tion  to  profit  by  any  breeze  that  might  offer,  to  draw 
as  near  as  possible  to  the  chase.  Trysail  was  placed 
in  the  launch,  at  the  head  of  a  strong  party  of  board 
ers.  Van  Staats  of  Kinderhook  was  provided  with 
the  yawl,  manned  only  by  its  customary  crew ;  while 
Ludlow  entered  his  own  barge,  which  contained  its 
usual  complement,  though  the  arms  that  lay  in  the 
stern-sheets  sufficiently  showed  that  they  were  pre 
pared  for  service. 

The  launch,  being  the  soonest  ready,  and  of  much 
the  heaviest  movement,  was  the  first  to  quit  the  side 
of  the  Coquette.  The  master  steered  directly  for  the 
becalmed  and  motionless  brigantine.  Ludlow  took 
a  more  circuitous  course,  apparently  with  an  inten 
tion  of  causing  such  a  diversion  as  might  distract  the 
attention  of  the  crew  of  the  smuggler,  and  with  the 
view  of  reaching  the  point  of  attack  at  the  same 
moment  with  the  boat  that  contained  his  principal 
force.  The  yawl  also  inclined  from  the  straight  line 
steering  as  much  on  one  side  as  the  barge  diverged 
on  the  other.  In  this  manner  the  men  pulled  in  si 
lence  for  some  twenty  minutes, — the  motion  of  the 
larger  boat,  which  was  heavily  charged,  being  slow 
and  difficult.  At  the  end  of  this  period,  a  signal  was 
made  from  the  barge,  when  all  the  men  ceased  row 
ing  and  prepared  themselves  for  the  struggle.  The 
launch  was  within  pistol-shot  of  the  brigantine,  and 
directly  on  her  beam ;  the  yawl  had  gained  her  head 
where  Van  Staats  of  Kinderhook  was  studying  the 


292  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

malign  expression  of  the  image,  with  an  interest 
that  seemed  to  increase  as  his  sluggish  nature  be 
came  excited ;  and  Ludlow,  on  the  quarter  opposite 
to  the  launch,  was  examining  the  condition  of  the 
chase  by  the  aid  of  a  glass.     Trysail  profited  by  th 
pause,  to  address  his  followers : 

"  This  is  an  expedition  in  boats,"  commenced  th 
accurate  and  circumstantial  master,  "  made  in  smooth 
water,  with  little,  or  one  may  say  no  wind,  in  the 
month  of  June,  and  on  the  coast  of  North  America. 
You  are  not  such  a  set  of  know-nothings,  men,  as  to 
suppose  the  launch  has  been  hoisted  out,  and  two  of 
the  oldest,  not  to  say  best  seamen,  on  the  quarter 
deck  of  Her  Majesty's  ship,  have  gone  in  boats,  with 
out  the  intention  of  doing  something  more  than  to 
ask  the  name  and  character  of  the  brig  in  sight.  The 
smallest  of  the  young  gentlemen  might  have  done 
that  duty,  as  well  as  the  captain,  or  myself.  It  is  the 
belief  of  those  who  are  best  informed,  that  the  stran 
ger,  who  has  the  impudence  to  lie  quietly  within  long 
range  of  a  royal  cruiser,  without  showing  his  colors, 
is  neither  more  nor  less  than  the  famous  « Skimmer 
of  the  Seas;'  a  man  against  whose  seamanship  I  will 
say  nothing,  but  who  has  none  of  the  best  reputation 
for  honesty,  as  relates  to  the  Queen's  revenue.  No 
doubt  you  have  heard  many  extraordinary  accounts 
of  the  exploits  of  this  rover,  some  of  which  seem  to 
insinuate,  that  the  fellow  has  a  private  understand 
ing  with  those  who  manage  their  transactions  in  a 
less  religious  manner  than  it  may  be  supposed  is  done 
by  the  bench  of  bishops.  But  what  of  that  ?  You 
are  hearty  Englishmen,  who  know  what  belongs  to 

church  and  state;  and,  d e,  you  are  not  the  boys 

to  be  frightened  by  a  little  witchcraft,  [a  cheer]  Ay, 
that  is  intelligible  and  reasonable  language,  and  such 
as  satisfies  me  you  understand  the  subject.  I  shall 
say  no  more,  than  just  to  add,  that  Captain  Ludlow 
desires  there  mav  be  no  indecent  language,  nor,  foi 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  293 

that  matter,  any  rough  treatment  of  the  people  of 
the  brigantine,  over  and  above  the  knocking  on  the 
head,  and  cutting  of  throats,  that  may  be  necessary 
to  take  her.  In  this  particular  you  will  take  exam 
ple  by  me,  who,  being  older,  have  more  experience 
than  most  of  you,  and  who,  in  all  reason,  should  bet 
ter  know  when  and  where  to  show  his  manhood.  Lay 
about  you  like  men,  so  long  as  the  free-traders  stand 
to  their  quarters — but  remember  mercy,  in  the  hour 
of  victory  !  You  will  on  no  account  enter  the  cabins; 
on  this  head  my  orders  are  explicit,  and  I  shall  make 
no  more  of  throwing  the  man  into  the  sea,  who  dares 
to  transgress  them,  than  if  he  were  a  dead  French 
man  ;  and,  as  we  now  clearly  understand  each  other, 
and  know  our  duty  so  well,  there  remains  no  more 
than  to  do  it.  I  have  said  nothing  of  the  prize-money, 
[a  cheer]  seeing  you  are  men  that  love  the  Queen 
and  her  honor,  more  than  lucre,  [a  cheer] ;  but  this 
much  I  can  safely  promise,  that  there  will  be  the 
usual  division,  [a  cheer]  and  as  there  is  little  doubt 
but  the  rogues  have  driven  a  profitable  trade,  why 
the  sum-total  is  likely  to  be  no  trifle."  [Three  hearty 
cheers.] 

The  report  of  a  pistol  from  the  barge,  which  was 
immediately  followed  by  a  gun  from  the  cruiser, 
whose  shot  came  whistling  between  the  masts  of  the 
Water- Witch,  was  the  signal  to  resort  to  the  ordinary 
means  of  victory.  The  master  cheered,  in  his  turn ; 
and  in  a  full,  steady,  and  deep  voice,  he  gave  the 
order  to  '  pull  away !'  At  the  same  instant,  the  barge 
and  yawl  were  seen  advancing  towards  the  object 
of  their  common  attack,  with  a  velocity  that  prom 
ised  to  bring  the  event  to  a  speedy  issue. 

Throughout  the  whole  of  the  preparations  in  and 
about  the  Coquette,  since  the  moment  when  the 
breeze  failed,  nothing  had  been  seen  of  the  crew  of 
the  brigantine.  The  beautiful  fabric  lay  rolling  on 
th«  Heaving  and  setting  waters ;  but  no  human  form 
Z2 


294  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

appeared  to  control  her  movements,  or  to  make  tho 
arrangements  that  seemed  so  necessary  for  her  de 
fence.  The  sails  continued  hanging  as  they  had  been 
left  by  the  breeze,  and  the  hull  was  floating  at  the 
will  of  the  waves.  This  deep  quiet  was  undisturbed 
by  the  approach  of  the  boats ;  and  if  the  desperate 
individual,  who  was  known  to  command  the  free 
trader,  had  any  intentions  of  resistance,  they  had 
been  entirely  hid  from  the  long  and  anxious  gaze  of 
Ludlow.  Even  the  shouts,  and  the  dashing  of  the 
oars  on  the  water,  when  the  boats  commenced  their 
final  advance,  produced  no  change  on  the  decks  of 
the  chase ;  though  the  commander  of  the  Coquette 
saw  her  head-yards  slowly  and  steadily  changing 
their  direction.  Uncertain  of  the  object  of  this 
movement,  he  rose  on  the  seat  of  his  boat,  and, 
waving  his  hat,  cheered  the  men  to  greater  exertion. 
The  barge  had  got  within  a  hundred  feet  of  the 
broadside  of  the  brigantine,  when  the  whole  of  her 
wide  folds  of  canvas  were  seen  swelling  outwards. 
The  exquisitely-ordered  machinery  of  spars,  sails, 
and  rigging,  bowed  towards  the  barge,  as  in  the  act 
of  a  graceful  leave-taking,  and  then  the  light  hull 
glided  ahead,  leaving  the  boat  to  plow  through  the 
empty  space  which  it  had  just  occupied.  There 
needed  no  second  look  to  assure  Ludlow  of  the  ineffi- 
cacy  of  further  pursuit,  since  the  sea  was  already 
ruffled  by  the  breeze  which  had  so  opportune  ly  come 
to  aid  the  smuggler.  He  signed  to  Trysail  to  desist; 
and  both  stood  looking,  with  disappointed  eyes,  at  the 
white  and  bubbling  streak  which  was  left  by  the 
wake  of  the  fugitive. 

But  while  the  Water- Witch  left  the  boats,  com 
manded  by  the  captain  and  master  of  the  Queen's 
( ruiser,  behind  her,  she  steered  directly  on  the  course 
that  was  necessary  to  bring  her  soonest  in  contact 
frith  the  yawl.  For  a  few  moments,  the  crew  of  the 
atter  believed  it  was  their  c  wn  advance  that  brought 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  295 

rfiem  so  rapidly  near  their  object;  and  when  the 
midshipman  who  steered  the  boat  discovered  his 
error,  it  was  only  in  season  to  prevent  the  swift  brig- 
antine  from  passing  over  his  little  bark.  He  gave 
the  yawl  a  wide  sheer,  and  called  to  his  men  to  pull 
for  their  lives  Oloff  Van  Staats  had  placed  himself 
at  the  head  of  the  boat,  armed  with  a  hanger,  and 
with  every  faculty  too  intent  on  the  expected  attack, 
to  heed  a  danger  that  was  scarcely  intelligible  to  one 
of  his  habits.  As  the  brigantine  glided  past,  he  saw 
her  low  channels  bending  towards  the  water,  and, 
with  a  powerful  effort,  he  leaped  into  them,  shouting 
a  sort  of  war-cry,  in  Dutch.  At  the  next  instant,  he 
threw  his  large  frame  over  the  bulwarks,  and  disap 
peared  on  the  deck  of  the  smuggler. 

When  Ludlow  had  caused  his  boats  to  assemble 
on  the  spot  which  the  chase  had  so  lately  occupied, 
he  saw  that  the  fruitless  expedition  had  been  attended 
by  no  other  casualty  than  the  involuntary  abduction 
»f  the  Patroon  of  Kinderhook. 


296  THE   WATER-WITCH. 


CHAPTER  XXTT. 


"  What  country,  friends,  is  this?" 
"  — Illyria,  lady." 

WHAT  TOO  writ. 

MEN  are  as  much  indebted  to  a  fortuitous  concur 
rence  of  circumstances,  for  the  characters  they  sus 
tain  in  this  world,  as  to  their  personal  qualities.  The 
same  truth  is  applicable  to  the  reputations  of  shipsx 
The  properties  of  a  vessel,  like  those  of  an  individual, 
may  have  their  influence  on  her  good  or  evil  fortune 
still,  something  is  due  to  the  accidents  of  life,  in  both. 
Although  the  breeze,  which  came  so  opportunely  to 
the  aid  of  the  Water- Witch,  soon  filled  the  sails  of 
the  Coquette,  it  caused  no  change  in  the  opinions  of 
her  crew  concerning  the  fortunes  of  that  ship ;  while 
it  served  to  heighten  the  reputation  which  the  'Skim 
mer  of  the  Seas'  had  already  obtained,  as  a  mariner 
who  was  more  than  favored  by  happy  chances,  io 
the  thousand  emergencies  of  his  hazardous  profession. 
Trysail,  himself,  shook  his  head,  in  a  manner  that 
expressed  volumes,  when  Ludlow  vented  his  humor 
on  what  the  young  man  termed  the  luck  of  the  smug 
gler  ;  and  the  crews  of  the  boats  gazed  after  the 
retiring  brigantine,  as  the  inhabitants  of  Japan  would 
now  most  probably  regard  the  passage  of  some  vessel 
propelled  by  steam.  As  Mr.  Luff  was  not  neglectful 
of  his  duty,  it  was  not  long  before  the  Coquette  ap 
proached  her  boats.  The  delay  occasioned  by  hoist 
ing  in  the  latter,  enabled  the  chase  to  increase  the 
pace  between  the  two  vessels,  to  such  a  distance,  as 
to  place  her  altogether  beyond  the  reach  of  shot. 
Ludlow,  however,  gave  his  orders  to  pursue,  the  mo 
ment  the  ship  was  ready  ;  and  he  hastened  to  conceal 
his  disappointment  in  his  own  cabin. 

"  Luck  is  a  merchant's  surplus,  while  a  living 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  297 

profit  is  the  reward  of  his  wits ! "  ohserved  Alderman 
Van  Beverout,  who  could  scarce  conceal  the  satis 
faction  he  felt,  at  the  unexpected  and  repeated  es 
capes  of  the  brigantine.  "Many  a  man  gains  doub 
loons,  when  he  only  looked  for  dollars ;  and  many  a 
market  falls,  while  the  goods  are  in  the  course  of 
clearance.  There  are  Frenchmen  enough,  Captain 
Ludlow  to  keep  a  brave  officer  in  good-humor ;  and 
he  less  reason  to  fret  about  a  trifling  mischance  in 
overhauling  a  smuggler." 

"  I  know  not  how  highly  you  may  prize  your  niece, 
Mr.  Van  Beverout ;  but  were  I  the  uncle  of  such  a 
woman,  the  idea  that  she  had  become  the  infatuated 
victim  of  the  arts  of  yon  reckless  villain,  would  mad 
den  me!" 

"Paroxysms  and  straight-jackets!  Happily  you 
are  not  her  uncle,  Captain  Ludlow,  and  therefore 
the  less  reason  to  be  uneasy.  The  girl  has  a  French 
fancy,  and  she  is  rummaging  the  smuggler's  silks  and 
laces ;  when  her  choice  is  made,  we  shall  have  her 
back  again,  more  beautiful  than  ever,  for  a  little 
finery." 

"  Choice !  Oh,  Alida,  Alida  !  this  is  not  the  election 
that  we  had  reason  to  expect  from  thy  cultivated 
mind  and  proud  sentiments!" 

"  The  cultivation  is  my  work,  and  the  pride  is  an 
inheritance  from  old  Etienne  de  Barberie;"  dryly 
rejoined  Myndert.  "  But  complaints  never  lowered 
a  market,  nor  raised  the  funds.  Let  us  send  for  the 
Patroon,  and  take  counsel  coolly,  as  to  the  easiest 
manner  of  finding  our  way  back  to  the  Lust  in  Rust, 
before  Her  Majesty's  ship  gets  too  far  from  the  coast 
of  America." 

"  Thy  pleasantry  is  unseasonable,  Sir.  Your  Pa 
troon  is  gone  with  your  niece,  and  a  pleasant  pas 
sage  they  are  likely  to  enjoy,  in  such  company !  We 
lost  him,  in  the  expedition  with  our  boats." 

Th<  Alderman  stood  aghast 


298  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

«  Lost !— Oloff  Van  Staats  lost,  in  the  expedition 
of  the  boats!  Evil  betide  the  day  when  that  dis 
creet  and  affluent  youth  should  be  lost  to  the  colony! 
Sir,  you  know  not  what  you  utter  when  you  hazard 
so  rash  an  opinion.  The  death  of  the  young  Patroon 
of  Kinderhook  would  render  one  of  the  best  and 
most  substantial  of  our  families  extinct,  and  leave 
the  third  best  estate  in  the  Province  without  a  direct 
heir!" 

"  The  calamity  is  not  so  overwhelming ;"  returned 
the  captain,  with  bitterness.  "  The  gentleman  has 
boarded  the  smuggler,  and  gone  with  la  belle  Bar- 
berie  to  examine  his  silks  and  laces!" 

Ludlow  then  explained  the  manner  in  which  the 
Patroon  had  disappeared.  When  perfectly  assured 
that  no  bodily  harm  had  befallen  his  friend,  the 
satisfaction  of  the  Alderman  was  quite  as  vivid,  as 
his  consternation  had  been  apparent  but  the  moment 
before. 

"  Gone  with  la  belle  Barberie,  to  examine  silks 
and  laces ! "  he  repeated,  rubbing  his  hands  together, 
in  delight.  Ay,  there  the  blood  of  my  old  friend, 
Stephanus,  begins  to  show  itself !  Your  true  Hollander 
is  no  mercurial  Frenchman,  to  beat  his  head  and 
make  grimaces  at  a  shift  in  the  wind,  or  a  woman's 
frown ;  nor  a  blustering  Englishman  (you  are  of  the 
colony  yourself,  young  gentleman)  to  swear  a  big  oath 
arid  swagger ;  but,  as  you  see,  a  quiet,  persevering, 
and,  in  the  main,  an  active  son  of  old  Batavia,  who 
watches  his  opportunity,  and  goes  into  the  very  pres 
ence  of " 

"Whom?" — demanded  Ludlow,  perceiving  that 
the  Alderman  had  paused. 

"  Of  his  enemy ;  seeing  that  all  the  enemies  of  the 
Queen  are  necessarily  the  enemies  of  every  loyal 
subject.  Bravo,  young  Oloff!  thou  art  a  lad  after 
my  own  heart,  and  no  doubt — no  doubt — fortune 
will  favor  the  brave!  Had  a  Hollander  a  proper 


THE   WATER-WITCH.  299 

footing  on  this  earth,  Captain  Cornelius  Ludlow,  we 
should  hear  a  different  tale  concerning  the  right  to 
the  Narrow  Seas,  and  indeed  to  most  other  questions 
of  commerce." 

Ludlow  arose  with  a  bitter  smile  on  his  face, 
though  with  no  ill  feeling  towards  the  man  whose 
xultation  was  so  natural. 

"  Mr.  Van  Staats  may  have  reason  to  congratulate 
himself  on  his  good  fortune,"  he  said,  "though  I 
much  mistake  if  even  his  enterprise  will  succeed, 
against  the  wiles  of  one  so  artful,  and  of  an  appear 
ance  so  gay,  as  the  man  whose  guest  he  has  now  he- 
come.  Let  the  caprice  of  others  be  what  it  may, 
Alderman  Van  Beverout,  my  duty  must  be  done. 
The  smuggler,  aided  by  chance  and  artifice,  has 
thrice  escaped  me ;  the  fourth  time,  it  may  be  our 
fortune.  If  this  ship  possesses  the  power  to  destroy 
the  lawless  rover,  let  him  look  to  his  fate ! " 

With  this  menace  on  his  lips,  Ludlow  quitted  the 
cabin,  to  resume  his  station  on  the  deck,  and  to  renew 
his  unwearied  watching  of  the  movements  of  the 
chase. 

The  change  in  the  wind  was  altogether  in  favor 
of  the  brigantine.  It  brought  her  to  windward,  and 
was  the  means  of  placing  the  two  vessels  in  positions 
that  enabled  the  Water- Witch  to  profit  the  most  by 
her  peculiar  construction.  Consequently,  when  Lud 
low  reached  his  post,  he  saw  that  the  swift  and  light 
craft  had  trimmed  every  thing  close  upon  the  wind 
and  that  she  was  already  so  far  ahead,  as  to  render 
the  chances  of  bringing  her  again  within  range  of 
his  guns  almost  desperate ;  unless,  indeed,  some  of 
the  many  vicissitudes,  so  common  on  the  ocean,  should 
nterfere  in  his  behalf.  There  remained  little  else  to 
be  done,  therefore,  but  to  crowd  every  sail  on  the 
Coquette  that  the  ship  would  bear,  and  to  endeavor 
to  keep  within  sight  of  the  chase,  during  the  hours 
of  darkness  which  must  so  shortly  succeed.  But  be- 


300  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

fore  the  sun  had  fallen  to  the  level  of  the  water,  tlie 
hull  of  the  Water- Witch  had  disappeared ;  and 
when  the  day  closed,  no  part  of  her  airy  outline 
was  visible,  but  that  which  was  known  to  belong  to 
her  upper  and  lighter  spars.  In  a  few  minutes  af 
terwards,  darkness  covered  the  ocean ;  and  the  sea 
men  of  the  royal  cruiser  were  left  to  pursue  their 
object,  at  random. 

How  far  the  Coquette  had  run  during  the  night 
does  not  appear,  but  when  her  commander  made  his 
appearance  on  the  following  morning,  his  long  and 
anxious  gaze  met  no  other  reward  than  a  naked 
horizon.  On  every  side,  the  sea  presented  the  same 
waste  of  water.  No  object  was  visible,  but  the  sea- 
fowl  wheeling  on  his  wide  wing,  and  the  summits  of 
the  irregular  and  green  billows.  Throughout  that 
and  many  succeeding  days,  the  cruiser  continued  to 
plow  the  ocean,  sometimes  running  large,  with  every 
thing  opened  to  the  breeze  that  the  wide  booms 
would  spread,  and,  at  others,  pitching  and  laboring 
with  adverse  winds,  as  if  bent  on  prevailing  over  the 
obstacles  which  even  nature  presented  to  her  pro 
gress.  The  head  of  the  worthy  Alderman  bad  got 
completely  turned ;  and  though  he  patiently  awaited 
the  result,  before  the  week  was  ended,  he  knew  not 
even  the  direction  in  which  the  ship  was  steering. 
At  length  he  had  reason  to  believe  that  the  end  of 
their  cruise  approached.  The  efforts  of  the  seamen 
were  observed  to  relax,  and  the  ship  was  permitted 
to  pursue  her  course,  under  easier  sail. 

It  was  past  meridian,  on  one  of  those  days  of  mod 
erate  exertion,  that  Francois  was  seen  stealing  from 
below,  and  staggering  from  gun  to  gun,  to  a  place  in 
the  centre  of  the  ship,  where  he  habitually  took  the 
air,  in  good  weather,  and  where  he  might  dispose  of 
his  person,  equally  without  presuming  too  far  on  the 
good-nature  of  his  superiors,  and  without  courting 


HIE    WATER- WITCH.  301 

oo  much  intimacy  with  the  coarser  herd  who  com 
posed  the  common  crew. 

"  Ah  ! "  exclaimed  the  valet,  addressing  his  remark 
to  the  midshipman  who  has  already  heen  mentioned 
by  the  name  of  Hopper — "Voila  la  terre!  Quel 
oonheur !  I  shall  be  so  happy — le  batiment  be  trop 
greable,  mais  vous  savez,  Monsieur  Aspirant ;  que 
ic  ne  suis  point  marin — What  be  le  nom  du  pays?" 

"  They  call  it,  France,"  returned  the  boy,  who 
understood  enough  of  the  other's  language  to  com 
prehend  his  meaning ;  "  and  a  very  good  country  it 
is — for  those  that  like  it." 

"  Ma  foi,  non  ! " — exclaimed  Francois,  recoiling  a 
pace,  between  amazement  and  delight. 

rt  Call  it  Holland,  then,  if  you  prefer  that  country 
most." 

"  Dites-moi,  Monsieur  Hoppair,"  continued  the 
valet,  laying  a  trembling  finger  on  the  arm  of  the 
remorseless  young  rogue ;  "  est-ce  la  France  ? " 

"  One  would  think  a  man  of  your  observation  could 
tell  that  for  himself.  Do  you  not  see  the  church- 
tower,  with  a  chateau  in  the  back-ground,  and  a 
village  built  in  a  heap,  by  its  side.  Now  look  into 
yon  wood !  There  is  a  walk,  straight  as  a  ship's 
wake  in  smooth  water,  and  one — two — three — ay, 
eleven  statues,  with  just  one  nose  among  them  all !" 

"  Ma  foi — dere  is  not  no  wood,  and  no  chateau, 
and  no  village,  and  no  statue,  and  no  no  nose, — mais 
Monsieur,  je  suis  age — est-ce  la  France  1 " 

"  Oh,  you  miss  nothing  by  having  an  indifferent 
sight,  for  I  shall  explain  it  all,  as  we  go  along.  You 
see  yonder  hill-side,  looking  like  a  pattern-card,  of 
green  and  yellow  stripes,  or  a  signal-book,  with  the 
flags  of  all  nations,  placed  side  by  side — well,  that 
<s — les  champs ;  and  this  beautiful  wood,  with  all  the 
branches  trimmed  till  it  looks  like  so  many  raw  ma 
rines  at  drill,  is — la  foret " 

The  credulity  or  the  warm-hearted  valet  could 
2  A 


302  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

swallow  no  mor •* ;  but,  assuming  a  look  of  commisera 
tion  and  dignity,  he  drew  back,  and  left  the  young 
tyro  of  the  sea  to  enjoy  his  joke  with  a  companion 
who  just  then  joined  him. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  Coquette  continued  to  ad 
vance.  The  chateau,  and  churches,  and  villages,  o 
the  midshipman,  soon  changed  into  a  low  sandy 
beach,  with  a  back-ground  of  stunted  pines,  relieved 
here  and  there,  by  an  opening,  in  which  appeared 
the  comfortable  habitation  and  numerous  o»  i-build- 
ings  of  some  substantial  yeoman,  or  occasionally  em 
bellished  by  the  residence  of  a  country  proprietor. 
Towards  noon,  the  crest  of  a  hill  rose  from  the  sea ; 
and,  just  as  the  sun  set  behind  the  barrier  of  moun 
tain,  the  ship  passed  the  sandy  cape,  and  anchored 
at  the  spot  that  she  had  quitted  when  first  joined  by 
her  commander  after  his  visit  to  the  brigantine.  The 
vessel  was  soon  moored,  the  light  yards  were  struck, 
and  a  boat  was  lowered  into  the  water.  Ludlow 
and  the  Alderman  then  descended  the  side,  and  pro 
ceeded  towards  the  mouth  of  the  Shrewsbury.  Al 
though  it  was  nearly  d^rk  before  they  had  reached 
the  shore,  there  remained  light  enough  to  enable  the 
former  to  discover  un  object  of  unusual  appearance 
floating  in  the  bay,  and  at  no  great  distance  from  the 
direction  of  his  barge.  He  was  led  by  curiosity  to 
steer  for  it. 

"Cruisers  and  Water- Witches !"  muttered  Myn- 
dert,  when  they  were  near  enough  to  perceive  the 
nature  of  the  floating  object.  "  That  brazen  hussy 
haunts  us,  as  if  we  had  robbed  her  of  gold !  Let  us 
set  foot  on  land,  and  nothing  short  of  a  deputation 
from  the  City  Council  shall  ever  tempt  me  to  wander 
rom  my  own  abode,  again ! " 

Ludlow  shifted  the  helm  of  the  boat,  and  resumed 
his  course  towards  the  river.  He  required  no  ex 
planation,  to  tell  him  more  of  the  nature  of  the  arti 
fice,  by  which  he  had  been  duped.  The  nicely- 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  303 

oalanced  tub,  the  upright  spar,  and  the  extinguished 
lantern,  with  the  features  of  the  female  of  the  malign 
smile  traced  on  its  horn  faces,  reminded  him,  at  once, 
of  the  false  light  by  which  the  Coquette  had  been 
lured  from  her  course,  on  the  night  she  sailed  in  pur 
suit  of  the  brigantine. 


CHAPTER  XXHL 

«« —His  daughter,  and  the  heir  of  his  kingdom, 
—hath  referred  herself 
Unto  a  poor  but  worthy  gentleman  : — " 

CYMBELIK*. 

WHEN  Alderman  Van  Beverout  and  Ludlow  drew 
r«-,?r  to  the  Lust  in  Rust,  it  was  already  dark.  Night 
had  overtaken  them,  at  some  distance  from  the 
place  of  landing ;  and  the  mountain  already  threw 
its  shadow  across  the  river,  the  narrow  strip  of  land 
that  separated  it  from  the  sea,  and  far  upon  the 
ocean  itself.  Neither  had  an  opportunity  of  making 
his  observations  on  the  condition  of  things  in  and 
about  the  villa,  until  they  had  ascended  nearly  to  its 
level,  and  had  even  entered  the  narrow  but  fragrant 
lawn  in  its  front.  Just  before  they  arrived  at  the 
gate  which  opened  on  the  latter,  the  Alderman 
paused,  and  addressed  his  companion,  with  more  of 
the  manner  of  their  ancient  confidence,  than  he  had 
manifested  during  the  few  preceding  days  of  their 
intercourse. 

"  You  must  have  observed,  that  the  events  of  this 
little  excursion  on  the  water,  have  been  rather  of 
a  domestic  than  of  a  public  character;"  he  said. 
"  Thy  father  was  a  very  ancient  and  much-esteemed 
friend  of  mine,  and  I  am  far  from  certain  that  there 


304  THfc    WATER- WITCH 

is  not  some  affinity  between  us,  in  the  way  of  inter 
marriages.  Thy  worthy  mother,  who  is  a  thrifty 
woman,  and  a  small  talker,  had  some  of  the  blood  of 
my  own  stock.  It  would  grieve  me  to  see  the  good 
understanding,  which  these  recollections  have  cre 
ated,  in  any  manner  interrupted.  I  admit,  Sir,  tha 
revenue  is  to  the  state  what  the  soul  is  to  the  body 
— the  moving  and  governing  principle ;  and  that,  as 
the  last  would  be  a  tenantless  house  without  its  in 
habitants,  so  the  first  would  be  an  exacting  and  trou 
blesome  master  without  its  proper  products.  But 
there  is  no  need  of  pushing  a  principle  to  extremi 
ties  !  If  this  brigantine  be,  as  you  appear  to  suspect, 
and  indeed  as  we  have  some  reason  from  various 
causes  to  infer,  the  vessel  called  the  Water- Witch 
she  might  have  been  a  legal  prize  had  she  fallen  into 
your  power;  but  now  that  she  has  escaped,  I  cannot 
say  what  may  be  your  intentions ;  but  were  thy  ex 
cellent  father,  the  worthy  member  of  the  King's 
Council,  living,  so  discreet  a  man  would  think  much 
before  he  opened  his  lips,  to  say  more  than  is  dis 
creet,  on  this  or  any  other  subject." 

"  Whatever  course  I  may  believe  my  duty  dictates, 
you  may  safely  rely  on  my  discretion  concerning  the 
— the  remarkable — the  very  decided  step  which 
your  niece  has  seen  proper  to  take;"  returned  the 
young  man,  who  did  not  make  this  allusion  to  Alida 
without  betraying,  by  the  tremor  of  his  voice,  how 
great  was  her  influence  still  over  him.  "  I  see  no 
necessity  of  violating  the  domestic  feelings  to  which 
you  allude,  by  aiding  to  feed  the  ears  of  the  idly 
curious,  with  the  narrative  of  her  errors." 

Ludlow  stopped  suddenly,  leaving  the  uncle  to 
infer  what  he  would  wish  to  add. 

"  This  is  generous,  and  manly,  and  like  a  loyal — 
lover,  Captain  Ludlow,"  returned  the  Alderman; 
"  though  it  is  not  exactly  what  I  intended  to  suggest. 
We  will  not,  however,  multiply  words  in  the  night 


THE   WATER-WITCH.  305 

air — ha !  when  the  cat  is  asleep,  the  mice  are  seen  to 
play !  Those  night-riding,  horse-racing  blacks  have 
taken  possession  of  Alida's  pavilion ;  and  we  may  be 
thankful  the  poor  girl's  rooms  are  not  as  large  as 
Harlaem  Common,  or  we  should  hear  the  feet  oi 
some  hard-driven  beast  galloping  about  in  them." 

The  Alderman,  in  his  turn,  cut  short  his  speech, 
and  started  as  if  one  of  the  spukes  of  the  colony  had 
suddenly  presented  itself  to  his  eyes.     His  language 
had  drawn  the  look  of  his  companion  towards  la  Cour 
des  Fees ;  and  Ludlow  had,  at  the  same  moment  at 
the  uncle,  caught  an  unequivocal  view  of  la  belh, 
Barberie,  as  she  moved  before  the  open  window  of 
her  apartment.     The  latter  was  about  to  rush  for 
ward,  but  the  hand  of  Myndert  arrested  the  impetu 
ous  movement. 

"  Here  is  more  matter  for  our  wits,  than  our  legs ; " 
observed  the  cool  and  prudent  burgher.  "  That  was 
the  form  of  my  ward  and  niece,  or  the  daughter  of 
old  Etienne  Barberie  has  a  double. — Francis !  didst 
thou  not  see  the  image  of  a  woman  at  the  window  of 
the  pavilion,  or  are  we  deceived  by  our  wishes  ?  I 
have  sometimes  been  deluded  in  an  unaccountable 
manner,  Captain  Ludlow,  when  my  mind  has  been 
thoroughly  set  on  the  bargain,  in  the  quality  of  the 
goods ;  for  the  most  liberal  of  us  all  are  subject  to 
mental  weakness  of  this  nature,  when  hope  is  alive !" 

"  Certainement,  oui!"  exclaimed  the  eager  valet 
"  Q,uel  malheur  to  be  oblige  to  go  on  la  mer,  when 
Mam'selle  Alide  nevair  quit  la  maison !  J'etais  sur, 
que  nous  nous  trompions,  car  jamais  la  famille  de 
Barberie  love  to  be  marins  ! " 

"Enough,  good  Francis;  the  family  of  Barberie  is 
as  earthy  as  a  fox.  Go  and  notify  the  idle  rogues  in 
my  kitchen,  that  their  master  is  at  hand ;  and  re 
member,  that  there  is  no  necessity  for  speak  ing  of  all 
the  wonders  we  have  seen  on  the  great  deep.  Cap- 
2  A2 


306  THE   WATER-WITCH. 

tain  Ludlow,  we  will  now  join  my  dutiful  niece,  with 
as  little  fracas  as  possible." 

Ludlow  eagerly  accepted  the  invitation,  and  in 
stantly  followed  the  dogmatical  and  seemingly  un 
moved  Alderman  towards  the  dwelling.  As  the  lawn 
was  crossed,  they  involuntarily  paused,  a  moment,  to 
ook  in  at  the  open  windows  of  the  pavilion. 

La  belle  Barberie  had  ornamented  la  Cour  des 
Fees,  with  a  portion  of  that  national  taste,  which  she 
inherited  from  her  father.  The  heavy  magnificence 
that  distinguished  the  reign  of  Louis  XIV.  had 
scarcely  descended  to  one  of  the  middling  rank  of 
Monsieur  de  Barberie,  who  had  consequently  brought 
with  him  to  the  place  of  his  exile,  merely  those  tasteful 
usages  which  appear  almost  exclusively  the  property 
of  the  people  from  whom  he  had  sprung,  without  the 
encumbrance  and  cost  of  the  more  pretending  fash 
ions  of  the  period.  These  usages  had  become  blend 
ed  with  the  more  domestic  and  comfortable  habits  of 
English,  or  what  is  nearly  the  same  thing,  of  Ameri 
can  life — an  union  which,  when  it  is  found,  perhaps 
produces  the  most  just  and  happy  medium  of  the 
useful  and  the  agreeable.  Alida  was  seated  by  a 
small  table  of  mahogany,  deeply  absorbed  in  the 
contents  of  a  little  volume  that  lay  before  her.  By 
her  side  stood  a  tea-service,  the  cups  and  the  vessels  of 
which  were  of  the  diminutive  size  then  used,  though 
exquisitely  wrought,  and  of  the  most  beautiful  ma 
terial.  Her  dress  was  a  negligee  suited  to  her  years ; 
and  her  whole  figure  breathed  that  air  of  com 
fort,  mingled  with  grace,  which  seems  to  be  the 
proper  quality  of  the  sex,  and  which  renders  the 
privacy  of  an  elegant  woman  so  attractive  and  pecu 
liar.  Her  mind  was  intent  on  the  book,  and  the 
ittle  silver  urn  hissed  at  her  elbow,  apparently  un 
heeded. 

"  This  is  the  picture  I  have  loved  to  draw,"  half- 
whispered  Ludlow,  "  when  gales  and  storms  have 


THE   WATER- WITCH.  307 

kept  me  on  the  deck,  throughout  many  a  dreaiy  and 
tempestuous  night  1  When  body  and  mind  have  been 
impatient  of  fatigue,  this  is  the  repose  I  have  most 
coveted,  and  for  which  I  have  even  dared  to  hope !" 

"  The  China  trade  will  come  to  something,  in  time 
and  you  are  an  excellent  judge  of  comfort,  Master 
Ludlow;"  returned  the  Alderman.  "  That  girl  now 
has  a  warm  glow  on  her  cheek,  which  would  seem 
to  swear  she  never  faced  a  breeze  in  her  life ;  and 
it  is  not  easy  to  fancy,  that  one  who  looks  so  com 
fortable  has  lately  been  frolicking  among  the  dol 
phins. — Let  us  enter." 

Alderman  Van  Beverout  was  not  accustomed  to 
use  much  ceremony  in  his  visits  to  his  niece.  With 
out  appearing  tp  think  any  announcement  necessary, 
•therefore,  the  dogmatical  burgher  coolly  opened  a 
door,  and  ushered  his  companion  into  the  pavilion. 

If  the  meeting  between  la  belle  Alida  and  her 
guests  was  distinguished  by*  the  affected  indifference 
of  the  latter,  their  seeming  ease  was  quite  equalled 
by  that  of  the  lady.  She  laid  aside  her  book,  with 
a  calmness  that  might  have  been  expected  had  they 
parted  but  an  hour  before,  and  which  sufficiently 
assured  both  Ludlow  and  her  uncle  that  their  return 
was  known  and  their  presence  expected.  She  simply 
arose  at  their  entrance,  and  with  a  smile  that  beto 
kened  breeding,  rather  than  feeling,  she  requested 
them  to  be  seated.  The  composure  of  his  niece  had 
the  effect  to  throw  the  Alderman  into  a  brown  study, 
while  the  young  sailor  scarcely  knew  which  to  ad 
mire  the  most,  the  exceeding  loveliness  of  a  woman 
who  was  always  so  beautiful,  or  her  admirable  self- 
possession  in  a  scene  that  most  others  would  have 
found  sufficiently  embarrassing.  Alida,  herself,  ap 
peared  to  feel  no  necessity  for  any  explanation ;  for, 
when  her  guests  were  seated,  she  took  occasion  to 
§ay,  while  busied  in  pouring  out  the  tea — 

"  You  find  me  prepared  to  offer  the  refreshment 


308  THE    WATERXWITCH* 

of  a  cup  of  delicious  bohea.    I  think,  my  uncle  calli 
it  the  tea  of  the  Caernarvon  Castle." 

"  A  lucky  ship,  both  in  her  passages  and  her 
wares !  Yes,  it  is  the  article  you  name ;  and  1  can 
recommend  it  to  all  who  wish  to  purchase.  But 
niece  of  mine,  will  you  condescend  to  acquaint  thi 
commander  in  Her  Majesty's  service,  and  a  poor 
Alderman  of  her  good  city  of  New- York,  how  long 
you  may  have  been  expecting  our  company?" 

Alida  felt  at  her  girdle,  and,  drawing  out  a  small 
and  richly-ornamented  watch,  she  coolly  examined 
its  hands,  as  if  to  learn  the  hour. 

"  We  are  nine.  I  think  it  was  past  the  turn  of 
the  day,  when  Dinah  first  mentioned  that  this 
pleasure  might  be  expected.  But,  I  should  also  tell 
you,  that  packages  which  seem  to  contain  letters- 
have  arrived  from  town." 

This  was  giving  a  new  and  sudden  direction  to 
the  thoughts  of  the  Alderman.  He  had  refrained 
from  entering  on  those  explanations  which  the  cir 
cumstances  seemed  to  require,  because  he  well  knew 
that  he  stood  on  dangerous  ground,  and  that  more 
might  be  said  than  he  wished  his  companion  to  hear, 
no  less  than  from  amazement  at  the  composure  of 
his  ward.  He  was  not  sorry,  therefore,  to  have  an 
excuse  to  delay  his  inquiries,  that  appeared  so  much 
in  character  as  that  of  reading  the  communications 
of  his  business  correspondents.  Swallowing  the  con 
tents  of  the  tiny  cup  he  held,  at  a  gulp,  the  eager 
merchant  seized  the  packet  that  Alida  now  offered ; 
and,  muttering  a  few  words  of  apology  to  Ludlow, 
he  left  the  pavilion. 

Until  now,  the  commander  of  the  Coquette  had 
not  spoken.  Wonder,  mingled  with  indignation, 
sealed  his  mouth,  though  he  had  endeavored  to  pen- 
etrate  the  veil  which  Alida  had  drawn  around  her 
conduct  and  motives,  by  a  diligent  use  of  his  eyes. 
During  the  first  few  moments  of  the  interview,  h« 


THE    WATER    JHTCH.  309 

thought  that  he  could  detect,  in  the  midst  of  her 
studied  calmness,  a  melancholy  smile  struggling 
around  her  beautiful  mouth  ;  but  only  once  had  their 
looks  met,  as  she  turned  her  full,  rich,  and  dark  eye* 
furtively  on  his  face,  as  if  she  were  curious  to  know 
the  effect  produced  by  her  manner  on  the  mind  01 
the  young  sailor. 

"  Have  the  enemies  of  the  Queen  reason  to  regret 
the  cruise  of  the  Coquette  V9  said  la  Belle,  hurriedly, 
when  she  found  her  glance  detected;  "  or  have  they 
dreaded  to  encounter  a  prowess  that  has  already 
proved  their  inferiority?" 

"  Fear,  or  prudence,  or  perhaps  I  might  say  con 
science,  has  made  them  wary ;"  returned  Ludlow, 
pointedly  emphasizing  the  latter  word.  "  We  have 
run  from  the  Hook  to  the  edge  of  the  Grand  Bank, 
and  returned  without  success." 

"  Tis  unlucky.  But,  though  the  French  escaped, 
have  none  of  the  lawless  met  with  punishment? 
There  is  a  rumor  among  the  slaves,  that  the  brigan- 
tine  which  visited  us  is  an  object  of  suspicion  to  the 
Government?" 

"  Suspicion  ! — But  I  may  apply  to  la  belle  Barbe- 
rie,  to  know  whether  the  character  her  commander 
has  obtained  be  merited?" 

Alida  smiled,  and,  her  admirer  thought,  sweetly  as 
ever. 

"  It  would  be  a  sign  of  extraordinary  complaisance, 
were  Captain  Ludlow  to  apply  to  the  girls  of  the 
colony  for  instruction  in  his  duty !  We  may  be  secret 
encouragers  of  the  contraband,  but  surely  we  are 
not  to  be  suspected  of  any  greater  familiarity  with 
their  movements.  These  hints  may  compel  me  to 
bandon  the  pleasures  of  the  Lust  in  Rust,  and  to 
seek  air  and  health  in  some  less  exposed  situation. 
Happily  the  banks  of  the  Hudson  offer  many,  that 
one  need  be  fastidious  indeed  to  reject." 


310  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

"  Among  which  you  count  the  Manor  House  o 
Kmderhook?" 

Again  Alida  smiled,  and  Ludlow  thought  it  wag 
triumphantly. 

"  The  dwelling  of  Oloff  Van  Staats  is  said  to  be 
commodious,  and  not  badly  placed.  I  have  seen 
it, " 

"  In  your  images  of  the  future?"  said  the  young 
man,  observing  she  hesitated. 

Alida  laughed  downright.  But,  immediately  re 
covering  her  self-command,  she  replied — 

"  Not  so  fancifully.  My  knowledge  of  the  beau 
ties  of  the  house  of  Mr.  Van  Staats,  is  confined  to 
very  unpoetical  glimpses  from  the  river,  in  passing 
and  repassing.  The  chimneys  are  twisted  in  the 
most  approved  style  of  the  Dutch  Brabant,  and, 
although  wanting  the  stork's  nests  on  their  summits, 
it  seems  as  if  there  might  be  that  woman's  tempter, 
comfort,  around  the  hearths  beneath.  The  offices, 
too,  have  an  enticing  air,  for  a  thrifty  housewife !" 

"  Which  office,  in  compliment  to  the  worthy  Pa- 
troon,  you  intend  shall  not  long  be  vacant?" 

Alida  was  playing  with  a  spoon,  curiously  wrought 
to  represent  the  stem  and  leaves  of  a  tea-plant.  She 
started,  dropped  the  implement,  and  raised  her  eyes 
to  the  face  of  her  companion.  The  look  was  steady, 
and  not  without  an  interest  in  the  evident  concern 
betrayed  by  the  young  man. 

"  It  will  never  be  filled  by  me,  Ludlow;"  was  the 
answer,  uttered  solemnly,  and  with  a  decision  that 
denoted  a  resolution  fixed. 

"  That  declaration  removes  a  mountain  ! — Oh  ! 
Alida,  if  you  could  as  easily " 

"  Hush  !"  whispered  the  other,  rising  and  standing 
for  a  moment  in  an  attitude  of  intense  expectation. 
Her  eye  became  brighter,  and  the  bloom  on  her 
cheek  even  deeper  than  before,  while  pleasure  and 
hope  were  both  strongly  depicted  on  her  beautiful 


THE   WATER- WITCH.  311 

face — "  Hush!"  she  continued,  motioning  to  Ludlow 
to  repress  his  feelings.    "  Did  you  hear  nothing?" 

The  disappointed  and  yet  admiring  young  man 
was  silent,  though  he  watched  her  singularly  inter 
esting  air,  and  lovely  features,  with  all  the  intense- 
ness  that  seemed  to  characterize  her  own  deport 
ment.  As  no  sound  followed  that  which  Alida  had 
heard  or  fancied  she  had  heard,  she  resumed  her 
seat,  and  appeared  to  lend  her  attention  once  more 
to  her  companion. 

"You  were  speaking  of  mountains'?"  she  said, 
scarce  knowing  what  she  uttered.  "  The  passage 
between  the  bays  of  Newburgh  and  Tappan,  has 
scarce  a  rival,  as  I  have  heard  from  travelled  men." 

"  I  was  indeed  speaking  of  a  mountain,  but  it  was 
of  one  that  weighs  me  to  the  earth.  Your  inexplica 
ble  conduct  and  cruel  indifference  have  heaped  it  on 
my  feelings,  Alida.  You  have  said  that  there  is  no 
hope  for  Oloff  Van  Staats ;  and  one  syllable,  spoken 
with  your  native  ingenuousness  and  sincerity,  has 
had  the  effect  to  blow  all  my  apprehensions  from 
that  quarter  to  the  winds.  There  remains  only  to 
account  for  your  absence,  to  resume  the  whole  ol 
your  power  over  one  who  is  but  too  readily  disposed 
to  confide  in  all  you  say  or  do." 

La  belle  Barberie  seemed  touched.  Her  glance 
at  the  young  sailor  was  kinder,  and  her  voice  wanted 
gome  of  its  ordinary  steadiness,  in  the  reply. 

"  That  power  has  then  been  weakened  ?" 

"  You  will  despise  me,  if  I  say  no ; — you  will  dis 
trust  me,  if  I  say  yc>" 

"  Then  silence  seems  the  course  best  adapted  to 
maintain  our  present  amity. — Surely  I  heard  a  blow 
struck,  lightly,  on  the  shutter  of  that  window?" 

"Hope  sometimes  deceives  us.  This  repeated  belief 
would  seem  to  say  that  you  expect  a  visiter?" 

A  distinct  tap  on  the  shutter  confirmed  the  impres- 
lion  of  the  mistress  of  the  pavilion.  Alida  looked  at 


312  THE   WATER- WITCH. 

her  companion,  and  appeared  embarrassed.  Her 
color  varied,  and  she  seemed  anxious  to  utter  some 
thing  that  either  her  feelings  or  her  prudence  sup 
pressed. 

"  Captain  Ludlow,  you  have  once  before  been  an 
unexpected  witness  of  an  interview  in  la  Cour  dea 
Fees,  that  has,  I  fear,  subjected  me  to  unfavorable 
surmises.  But  one  manly  and  generous  as  yourself 
can  have  indulgence  for  the  little  vanities  of  woman. 
I  expect  a  visit,  that  perhaps  a  Queen's  officer  should 
not  countenance." 

"  I  am  no  exciseman,  to  pry  into  wardrobes  and 
secret  repositories,  but  one  whose  duty  it  is  to  act 
only  on  the  high  seas,  and  against  the  more  open  vio 
lators  of  the  law.  If  you  have  any  without,  whose 
presence  you  desire,  let  them  enter  without  dread  of 
my  office.  When  we  meet  in  a  more  suitable  place, 
I  shall  know  how  to  take  my  revenge." 

His  companion  looked  grateful,  and  bowed  her  ac 
knowledgments.  She  then  made  a  ringing  sound,  by 
using  a  spoon  on  the  interior  of  one  of  the  vessels  of 
the  tea  equipage.  The  shrubbery,  which  shaded  a 
window,  stirred ;  and  presently,  the  young  stranger, 
already  so  well  known  in  the  former  pages  of  this 
work,  and  in  the  scenes  of  the  brigantine,  appeared 
in  the  low  balcony.  His  person  was  scarcely  seen, 
before  a  light  bale  of  goods  was  tossed  past  him,  into 
the  centre  of  the  room. 

"  I  send  my  certificate  of  character  as  an  avant- 
courier;"  said  the  gay  dealer  in  contraband,  or  Mas 
ter  Seadrift,  as  he  was  called  by  the  Alderman, 
touching  his  cap,  gallantly,  to  the  mistress  of  la  Cour 
des  Fees,  and  then,  somewhat  more  ceremoniously 
to  her  companion ;  after  which  he  returned  the  gold 
bound  covering  to  its  seat,  on  a  bed  of  rich  and  glossy 
curls,  and  sought  his  package.  Here  is  one  more  cus 
tomer  than  I  bargained  for,  and  I  look  to  more  than 


THE   WATER- WITCH.  313 

common  gala !  We  have  met  before,  Captain  Lud- 
low." 

"  We.  have,  Sir  Skimmer  of  the  Seas,  and  we  shall 
meet  again.  Winds  may  change,  and  fortune  yet 
favor  the  right ! " 

"  We  trust  to  the  sea-green  lady's  care;"  returned 
the  extraordinary  smuggler,  pointing,  with  a  species 
of  reverence,  real  or  affected,  to  the  image  that  was 
beautifully  worked,  in  rich  colors,  on  the  velvet  of 
his  cap.  What  has  been  will  be,  and  the  past  gives 
a  hope  for  the  future.  We  meet,  here,  on  neutral 
ground,  I  trust" 

"  I  am  the  commander  of  a  royal  cruiser,  Sir : " 
haughtily  returned  the  other. 

"  Queen  Anne  may  be  proud  of  her  servant ! — 
but  we  neglect  our  affairs.  A  thousand  pardons, 
lovely  mistress  of  la  Cour  des  Fees.  This  meeting  of 
two  rude  mariners  does  a  slight  to  your  beauty,  and 
little  credit  to  the  fealty  due  the  sex.  Having  done 
with  all  compliments,  I  have  to  offer  certain  articles 
that  never  failed  to  cause  the  brightest  eyes  to  grow 
more  brilliant,  and  at  which  duchesses  have  gazed 
with  many  longings." 

"  You  speak  with  confidence  of  your  associations, 
Master  Seadrift,  and  rate  noble  personages  among 
your  customers,  as  familiarly  as  if  you  dealt  in  offices 
of  state," 

"  This  skilful  servitor  of  the  Queen  will  tell  you, 
lady,  that  the  wind  which  is  a  gale  on  the  Atlantic, 
may  scarce  cool  the  burning  cheek  of  a  girl  on  the 
land,  and  that  the  links  in  life  are  as  curiously  inter 
locked  as  the  ropes  of  a  ship.  The  Ephesian  temple, 
and  the  Indian  wigwam,  rested  on  the  same  earth." 

"  From  which  you  infer  that  rank  does  not  alter 
nature.  We  must  admit,  Captain  Ludlow,  that  Mas 
ter  Seadrift  understands  a  woman's  heart,  when  he 
tempts  her  with  stores  of  tissues  gay  as  these  I" 

Ludlow  had  watched  the  speakers  in  silence.  The 
2B 


314  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

manner  of  Alicia  was  far  less  embarrassed,  than  when 
he  had  before  seen  her  in  the  smuggler's  company ; 
and  his  blood  fired,  when  he  saw  that  their  eyes 
met  with  a  secret  and  friendly  intelligence.  He  had 
remained,  however,  with  a  resolution  to  be  calm, 
and  to  know  the  worst.  Conquering  the  expression  of 
his  feelings  by  a  great  effort,  he  answered  with  an 
exterior  of  composure,  though  not  without  some  of 
that  bitterness  in  his  emphasis,  which  he  felt  at  his 
heart. 

"  If  Master  Seadrift  has  this  knowledge,  he  may 
value  himself  on  his  good  fortune ; "  was  the  reply. 

"  Much  intercourse  with  the  sex,  who  are  my  best 
customers,  has  something  helped  me;"  returned  the 
cavalier  dealer  in  contraband.  "  Here  is  a  brocade, 
whose  fellow  is  worn  openly  in  the  presence  of  our 
royal  mistress,  though  it  came  from  the  forbidden 
looms  of  Italy ;  and  the  ladies  of  the  court  return 
from  patriotically  dancing,  in  the  fabrics  of  home,  to 
please  the  public  eye,  once  in  the  year,  to  wear  these 
more  agreeable  inventions,  all  the  rest  of  it,  to  please 
themselves.  Tell  me,  why  does  the  Englishman,  with 
his  pale  sun,  spend  thousands  to  force  a  sickly  imita 
tion  of  the  gifts  of  the  tropics,  but  because  he  pines 
for  forbidden  fruit?  or  why  does  your  Paris  gourmand 
roll  a  fig  on  his  tongue,  that  a  Lazzarone  of  Naples 
would  cast  into  his  bay,  but  because  he  wishes  to  en 
joy  the  bounties  of  a  low  latitude,  under  a  watery 
sky  ?  I  have  seen  an  individual  feast  on  the  eau  sucre 
of  an  European  pine,  that  cost  a  guinea,  while  hii 
palate  would  have  refused  the  same  fruit,  with  its 
delicious  compound  of  acid  and  sweet,  mellowed  t< 
ripeness  under  a  burning  sun,  merely  because  h( 
could  have  it  for  nothing.  This  is  the  secret  of  out 
patronage ;  and  as  the  sex  are  most  liable  to  its  in 
fluence,  we  owe  them  most  gratitude." 

"  You  have  travelled,  Master  Seadrift,"  returns 
a  Belle  smiling,  while  she  tossed  the  rich  routenl 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  315 

of  the  bale  on  the  carpet,  "  and  treat  of  usages  as 
familiarly  as  you  speak  of  dignities." 

"  The  lady  of  the  sea-green  mantle  does  not  per 
mit  an  idle  servant.  We  follow  the  direction  of  her 
guiding  hand ;  sometimes  it  points  our  course  among 
the  isles  of  the  Adriatic,  and  at  others  on  your 
tormy  American  coasts.  There  is  little  of  Europe 
between  Gibraltar  and  the  Cattegat,  that  I  have  not 
visited." 

4<  But  Italy  has  been  the  favorite,  if  one  may  judge 
by  the  number  of  her  fabrics  that  you  produce." 

"  Italy,  France,  and  Flanders,  divide  my  cu?tom ; 
though  you  are  right,  in  believing  the  former  most 
in  favor.  Many  years  of  early  life  did  I  pass  on  the 
noble  coasts  of  that  romantic  region.  One  who  pro 
tected  and  guided  my  infancy  and  youth,  even  left 
me  for  a  time,  under  instruction,  on  the  little  plain 
of  Sorrento." 

"  And  where  can  this  plain  be  found  ? — for  the 
residence  of  so  famous  a  rover  may,  one  day,  become 
the  theme  of  song,  and  is  likely  to  occupy  the  leisure 
of  the  curious." 

"  The  grace  of  the  speaker  may  well  excuse  the 
irony  !  Sorrento  is  a  village  on  the  southern  shore  of 
the  renowned  Naples  bay.  Fire  has  wrought  many 
changes  in  that  soft  but  wild  country,  and  if,  as  reli 
gionists  believe,  the  fountains  of  the  great  deep  were 
ever  broken  up,  and  the  earth's  crust  disturbed,  to 
permit  its  secret  springs  to  issue  on  the  surface,  this 
may  have  been  one  of  the  spots  chosen  by  him  whose 
touch  leaves  marks  that  are  indelible,  in  which  to 
show  his  power.  The  bed  of  the  earth,  itself,  in  all 
that  region,  appears  to  have  been  but  the  vomitings 
of  volcanoes ;  and  the  Sorrentine  passes  his  peaceable 
life  in  the  bed  of  an  extinguished  crater.  'Tis  cu 
rious  to  see  in  what  manner  the  men  of  the  middle 
ages  have  built  their  town,  on  the  margin  of  the  sea, 
where  the  clement  has  swallowed  one-half  the  ragged 


316  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

basin,  and  how  they  have  taken  the  yawning  cre 
vices  of  the  tufo,  for  ditches  to  protect  their  walls ! 
I  have  visited  many  lands,  and  seen  nature  in  nearly 
every  clime ;  but  no  spot  has  yet  presented,  in  a  sin 
gle  view,  so  pleasant  a  combination  of  natural  ob 
jects,  mingled  with  mighty  recollections,  as  that 
lovely  abode  on  the  Sorrentine  clifFs!" 

"  Recount  me  these  pleasures,  that  in  memory 
seem  so  agreeable,  while  I  examine  further  into  the 
contents  of  the  bale." 

The  gay  young  free-trader  paused,  and  seemed 
lost  in  images  of  the  past.  Then,  with  a  melancholy 
smile,  he  soon  continued.  "  Though  many  years  are 
gone,"  he  said,  "  I  can  recall  the  beauties  of  that 
scene,  as  vividly  as  if  they  still  stood  before  the  eye. 
Our  abode  was  on  the  verge  of  the  cliffs.  In  front 
lay  the  deep-blue  water,  and  on  its  further  shore 
was  a  line  of  objects  such  as  accident  or  design 
rarely  assembles  in  one  view.  Fancy  thyself,  lady, 
at  my  side,  and  follow  the  curvature  of  the  northern 
shore,  as  I  trace  the  outline  of  that  glorious  scene ! 
That  high,  mountainous,  and  ragged  island,  on  the 
extreme  left,  is  modern  Ischia.  Its  origin  is  unknown, 
though  piles  of  lava  lie  along  its  coast,  which  seems 
fresh  as  that  thrown  from  the  mountain  yesterday. 
The  long,  low  bit  of  land,  insulated  like  its  neighbor, 
is  called  Procida,  a  scion  of  ancient  Greece.  Its 
people  still  preserve,  in  dress  and  speech,  marks  of 
their  origin.  The  narrow  strait  conducts  you  to  a 
high  and  naked  bluff  That  is  the  Misenum,  of  old. 
Here  Eneas  came  to  land,  and  Rome  held  her  fleets, 
and  thence  Pliny  took  the  water,  to  get  a  nearer 
view  of  the  labors  of  the  volcano,  after  its  awaken- 
ng  from  centuries  of  sleep.  In  the  hollow  of  the 
idge,  between  that  naked  bluff  and  the  next  swell 
of  the  mountain,  lie  the  fabulous  Styx,  the  Elysian 
fields,  and  the  place  of  the  dead,  as  fixed  by  the 
Mantuan.  More  on  the  height  and  nearer  to  the 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  317 

sea,  lie,  buried  in  the  earth,  the  vast  vaults  of  the 
Piscina  Mirabile — and  the  gloomy  caverns  of  the 
Hundred  Chambers ;  places  that  equally  denote  the 
luxury  and  the  despotism  of  Rome.  Nearer  to  the 
vast  pile  of  castle,  that  is  visible  so  many  leagues,  is 
the  graceful  and  winding  Baiasn  harbor ;  and  against 
the  side  of  its  sheltering  hills,  once  lay  the  city  o 
villas.  To  that  sheltered  hill,  emperors,  consuls, 
poets,  and  warriors,  crowded  from  the  capital,  in 
quest  of  repose,  and  to  breathe  the  pure  air  of  a  spot 
in  which  pestilence  has  since  made  its  abode.  The 
earth  is  still  covered  with  the  remains  of  their  mag 
nificence,  and  ruins  of  temples  and  baths  are  scat 
tered  freely  among  the  olives  and  fig-trees  of  the 
peasant.  A  fainter  bluff  limits  the  north-eastern 
boundary  of  the  little  bay.  On  it,  once,  stood  the 
dwellings  of  emperors.  There  Caesar  sought  retire 
ment,  and  the  warm  springs  on  its  side  are  yet  called 
the  baths  of  the  bloody  Nero.  That  small  conical 
hill,  which,  as  you  see,  possesses  a  greener  and  fresher 
look  than  the  adjoining  land,  is  a  cone  ejected  by  the 
caldron  beneath,  but  two  brief  centuries  since.  It 
occupies,  in  part,  the  site  of  the  ancient  Lucrine 
lake.  All  that  remains  of  that  famous  receptacle  of 
the  epicure,  is  the  small  and  shallow  sheet  at  its  base, 
which  is  separated  from  the  sea  by  a  mere  thread  of 
sand.  More  in  the  rear,  and  surrounded  by  dreary 
hills,  lie  the  waters  of  Avernus.  On  their  banks  still 
stand  the  ruins  of  a  temple,  in  which  rites  were  cele 
brated  to  the  infernal  deities.  The  grotto  of  the 
Sybil  pierces  that  ridge  on  the  left,  and  the  Cumaean 
passage  is  nearly  in  its  rear.  The  town,  which  is 
seen  a  mile  to  the  right,  is  Pozzuoli — a  port  of  the 
ancients,  and  a  spot  now  visited  for  its  temples  of 
Jupiter  and  Neptune,  its  mouldering  amphitheatre, 
and  its  half-buried  tombs.  Here  Caligula  attempted 
his  ambitious  bridge ;  and  while  crossing  thence  to 
Baia3,  the  vile  Nero  had  the  life  of  his  own  mother 
2B  2 


318  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

assailed.  It  was  there,  too,  that  holy  Paul  came  to 
land,  when  journeying  a  prisoner  to  Rome.  The 
small  but  high  island,  nearly  in  its  front,  is  Nisida, 
the  place  to  which  Marcus  Brutus  retired  after  the 
deed  at  the  foot  of  Pompey's  statue,  where  he  pos^ 
sessed  a  villa,  and  whence  he  and  Cassius  sailed  to 
meet  the  shade  and  the  vengeance  of  the  muidered 
Caesar,  at  Philippi.  Then  comes  a  crowd  of  sites 
more  known  in  the  middle  ages ;  though  just  below 
that  mountain,  in  the  back-ground,  is  the  famous 
subterranean  road  of  which  Strabo  and  Seneca  are 
said  to  speak,  and  through  which  the  peasant  still 
daily  drives  his  ass  to  the  markets  of  the  modern 
city.  At  its  entrance  is  the  reputed  tomb  of  Virgil, 
and  then  commences  an  amphitheatre  of  white  and 
terraced  dwellings.  This  is  noisy  Napoli  itself,  crown 
ed  with  its  rocky  castle  of  St.  Elmo !  The  vast  plain, 
to  the  right,  is  that  which  held  the  enervating  Capua 
and  so  many  other  cities  on  its  bosom.  To  this  suc 
ceeds  the  insulated  mountain  of  the  volcano,  with 
its  summit  torn  in  triple  tops.  'Tis  said  that  villas 
and  villages,  towns  and  cities,  lie  buried  beneath  the 
vineyards  and  palaces  which  crowd  its  base.  The 
ancient  and  unhappy  city  of  Pompeii  stood  on  that 
luckless  plain,  which,  following  the  shores  of  the  bay, 
conies  next ;  and  then  we  take  up  the  line  of  the 
mountain  promontory,  which  forms  the  Sorrentine 
side  of  the  water!" 

"  One  who  has  had  such  schooling,  should  know 
better  how  to  turn  it  to  a  good  account ;"  said  Ludlow, 
sternly,  when  the  excited  smuggler  ceased  to  speak. 

"  In  other  lands,  men  derive  their  learning  from 
books ;  in  Italy,  children  acquire  knowledge  by  the 
studv  of  visible  things:"  was  the  undisturbed  answer 

"Some  from  this  country  are  fond  of  believing 
Miat  our  own  bay,  these  summer  skies,  and  the  cli 
mate  in  general,  should  have  a  strict  resemblance  tc 
those  of  a  region  which  lies  precisely  in  our  own  lati- 


THE   WATER-WITCH.  319 

tude ;"  observed  Alida,  so  hastily,  as  to  betray  a  de 
sire  to  preserve  the  peace  between  her  guests. 

"  That  your  Manhattan  and  Raritan  waters  are 
broad  and  pleasant,  none  can  deny,  and  that  lovely 
beings  dwell  on  their  banks,  lady,"  returned  Seadrift, 
gallantly  lifting  his  cap,  "  my  own  senses  have  wit 
nessed.  But  'twere  wiser  to  select  some  other  point 
of  your  excellence,  for  comparison,  than  a  competi 
tion  with  the  glorious  waters,  the  fantastic  and  moun 
tain  isles,  and  the  sunny  hill-sides  of  modern  Mapoli ! 
'T  is  certain  the  latitude  is  even  in  your  favor,  and 
that  a  beneficent  sun  does  not  fail  of  its  office  in  one 
region  more  than  in  the  other.  But  the  forests  of 
America  are  still  too  pregnant  of  vapors  and  exhala 
tions,  not  to  impair  the  purity  of  the  native  air.  If  I 
have  seen  much  of  the  Mediterranean,  neither  am  I 
a  stranger  to  these  coasts.  While  there  are  so  many 
points  of  resemblance  in  their  climates,  there  are 
ixlso  many  and  marked  causes  of  difference." 

"  Teach  us,  then,  what  forms  these  distinctions, 
that,  in  speaking  of  our  bay  and  skies,  we  may  not 
be  led  into  error." 

"  You  do  me  honor,  lady ;  I  am  of  no  great  school 
ing,  and  of  humble  powers  of  speech.  Still,  the  little 
that  observation  may  have  taught  me,  shall  not  be 
churlishly  withheld.  Your  Italian  atmosphere,  taking 
the  humidity  of  the  seas,  is  sometimes  hazy.  Still 
water  in  large  bodies,  other  than  in  the  two  seas,  is 
little  known  in  those  distant  countries.  Few  objects 
in  nature  are  drier  than  an  Italian  river,  during 
those  months  when  the  sun  has  most  influence.  The 
effect  is  visible  in  the  air,  which  is  in  general  elastic, 
dry,  and  obedient  to  the  general  laws  of  the  climate. 
There  floats  less  exhalation,  in  the  form  of  fine  and 
nearly  invisible  vapor,  than  in  these  wooded  regions. 
At  least,  so  he  of  whom  I  spoke,  as  one  who  guided 
my  y<  uth,  was  wont  to  say." 


320  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

"  You  hesitate  to  tell  us  of  our  skies,  our  evening 
light,  and  of  our  bay  ?" 

"  It  shall  be  said,  and  said  sincerely — Of  the  bays, 
each  seems  to  have  been  appropriated  to  that  for 
which  nature  most  intended  it. — The  one  is  poetic, 
indolent,  and  full  of  graceful  but  glorious  beauty ; 
more  pregnant  of  enjoyment  than  of  usefulness.  The 
other  will,  one  day,  be  the  mart  of  the  world  !" 

"  You  still  shrink  from  pronouncing  on  their  beau 
ty  ;"  said  Alida,  disappointed,  in  spite  of  an  affected 
indifference  to  the  subject 

"  It  is  ever  the  common  fault  of  old  communities 
to  overvalue  themselves,  and  to  undervalue  new  act 
ors  in  the  great  drama  of  nations,  as  men  long  suc 
cessful  disregard  the  efforts  of  new  aspirants  for 
favor ;"  said  Seadrift,  while  he  looked  with  amaze 
ment  at  the  pettish  eye  of  the  frowning  beauty.  "  In 
this  instance,  however,  Europe  has  not  so  greatly 
erred.  They  who  see  much  resemblance  between 
the  bay  of  Naples  and  this  of  Manhattan,  have  fer 
tile  brains;  since  it  rests  altogether  on  the  circum 
stance  that  there  is  much  water  in  both,  and  a  pas 
sage  between  an  island  and  the  main-land,  in  one,  to 
resemble  a  passage  between  two  islands  in  the  other. 
This  is  an  estuary,  that  a  gulf;  and  while  the  former 
has  the  green  and  turbid  water  of  a  shelving  shore 
and  of  tributary  rivers,  the  latter  has  the  blue  and 
limpid  element  of  a  deep  sea.  In  these  distinctions, 
I  take  no  account  of  ragged  and  rocky  mountains, 
with  the  indescribable  play  of  golden  and  rosy  light 
upon  their  broken  surfaces,  nor  of  a  coast  that  teems 
with  the  recollections  of  three  thousand  years!" 

"  I  fear  to  question  more.  But  surely  our  skies 
may  be  mentioned,  even  by  the  side  of  those  you 
vaunt?" 

"  Of  the  skies,  truly,  you  have  more  reason  to  be 
confident.  I  remember  that  standing  on  the  Capo  di 
Monte,  which  overlooks  the  little,  pieturesque,  and 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  321 

4P» 

crowded  beach  of  the  Marina  Grande,  and  Sorrento, 
a  spot  that  teems  with  all  that  is  poetic  in  the  fisher 
man's  life,  he  of  whom  I  have  spoken,  once  pointed 
to  the  transparent  vault  above,  and  said,  *  There  is 
the  moon  of  America ! '  The  colors  of  the  rocket 
were  not  more  vivid  than  the  stars  that  night,  for  a 
Tramontana  had  swept  every  impurity  from  the  air, 
far  upon  the  neighboring  sea.  But  nights  like  that 
are  rare,  indeed,  in  any  clime !  The  inhabitants  of 
low  latitudes  enjoy  them  occasionally;  those  of  higher 
never." 

"  And  then  our  flattering  belief,  that  these  west 
ern  sunsets  rival  those  of  Italy,  is  delusion?" 

"  Not  so,  lady.  They  rival,  without  resembling. 
The  color  of  the  etui,  on  which  so  fair  a  hand  is 
resting,  is  not  softer  than  the  hues  one  sees  in  the 
heavens  of  Italy.  But  if  your  evening  sky  wants  the 
pearly  light,  the  rosy  clouds,  and  the  soft  tints  which, 
at  that  hour,  melt  into  each  other,  across  the  entire 
vault  of  Napoli,  it  far  excels  in  the  vividness  of  the 
glow,  in  the  depth  of  the  transitions,  and  in  the  rich 
ness  of  colors.  Those  are  only  more  delicate,  while 
these  are  more  gorgeous !  When  there  shall  be  less 
exhalation  from  your  forests,  the  same  causes  may 
produce  the  same  effects.  Until  then,  America  must 
be  content  to  pride  herself  on  an  exhibition  of  na 
ture's  beauty,  in  a  new,  though  scarcely  in  a  less 
pleasing,  form." 

"  Then  they  who  come  among  us  from  Europe, 
ire  but  half  right,  when  they  deride  the  pretensions 
of  our  bay  and  heavens'?" 

"  Which  is  much  nearer  the  truth  than  they  are 
wont  to  be,  on  the  subject  of  this  continent.  Speak 
of  the  many  rivers,  the  double  outlet,  the  numberless 
basins,  and  the  unequalled  facilities  of  your  Manhat 
tan  harbor ;  for  in  time,  they  will  come  to  rendei  all 
the  beauties  of  the  unrivalled  bay  of  Naples  vain : 
but  tempt  not  the  stranger  to  push  the  comparison 


322  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

•• 

beyond.  Be  grateful  for  your  skies,  lady,  for  few 
live  under  fairer  or  more  beneficent — But  I  tire  you 
with  these  opinions,  when  here  are  colors  that  have 
more  charms  for  a  young  and  lively  imagination,  than 
even  the  tints  of  nature  ! " 

La  belle  Barberie  smiled  on  the  dealer  in  contra 
band,  with  an  interest  that  sickened  Ludlow ;  and 
she  was  about  to  reply,  in  better  humor,  when  the 
voice  of  her  uncle  announced  his  near  approach. 


CHAPTEE  SXIY. 

"  There  shall  -be,  in  England,  seven  half-penny  loaves  sold  for  a  penny.  The 
three-hooped  pot  shall  have  ten  hoops ;  and  I  will  make  it  felony,  to  drink 
Binall  beer." JACK  CADE. 

HAD  Alderman  Van  Beverout  been  a  party  in  tbe 
preceding  dialogue,  he  could  not  have  uttered  words 
more  apposite,  than  the  exclamation  with  which  he 
first  saluted  the  ears  of  those  in  the  pavilion. 

"Gales  and  climates !"  exclaimed  the  merchant, 
entering  with  an  open  letter  in  his  hand.  "  Here 
are  advices  received,  by  way  of  Curacoa,  and  the 
coast  of  Africa,  that  the  good  ship  Musk-Rat  met 
with  foul  winds  off  the  Azores,  which  lengthened 
her  passage  home  to  seventeen  weeks — this  is  too 
much  precious  time  wasted  between  markets,  Cap 
tain  Cornelius  Ludlow,  and  'twill  do  discredit  to  the 
good  character  of  the  ship,  which  has  hitherto  al 
ways  maintained  a  sound  reputation,  never  needing 
more  than  the  regular  seven  months  to  make  the 
voyage  nome  and  out  again.  If  our  vessels  fall  into 
this  lazy  train,  we  shall  never  get  a  skin  to  Bristol, 
till  it  is  past  use.  What  have  we  here,  niece  ?  Mer 
chandise  !  and  of  a  suspicious  fabric ! — who  has  the 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  323 

invoice  of  these  goods,  and  in  what  vessel  were  they 
shipped?" 

"  These  are  questions  that  may  be  better  answered 
by  their  owner;"  returned  la  Belle,  pointing  grave 
ly,  and  not  without  tremor  in  her  voice,  towards  the 
dealer  in  contraband,  who,  at  the  approach  of  the 
Alderman,  had  shrunk  back  as  far  as  possible  from 
view. 

Myndert  cast  an  uneasy  glance  at  the  unmoved 
countenance  of  the  commander  of  the  royal  cruiser, 
after  having  bestowed  a  brief  but  understanding 
look  at  the  contents  of  the  bale.  "  Captain  Ludlow, 
the  chaser  is  chased  !"  he  said.  "  After  sailing  about 
the  Atlantic,  for  a  week  or  more,  like  a  Jew  broker's 
clerk  running  up  and  down  the  Boom  Key  at  Rotter 
dam,  to  get  off  a  consignment  of  damaged  tea,  we 
are  fairly  caught  ourselves !  To  what  fall  in  prices, 
or  change  in  the  sentiments  of  the  Board  of  Trade, 
am  I  indebted  for  the  honor  of  this  visit,  Master  a — 
a — a — gay  dealer  in  green  ladies  and  bright  tis 
sues?" 

The  confident  and  gallant  manner  of  the  free 
trader  had  vanished,  In  its  place,  there  appeared  a 
hesitating  and  embarrassed  air,  that  the  individual 
was  not  wont  to  exhibit,  blended  with  some  apparent 
indecision,  on  the  subject  of  his  reply. 

"  It  is  the  business  of  those  who  hazard  much, 
in  order  to  minister  to  the  wants  of  life,"  he  said, 
after  a  pause  that  was  sufficiently  expressive  of  the 
entire  change  in  his  demeanor,  "  to  seek  customers 
where  there  is  a  reputation  for  liberality.  I  hope 
my  boldness  will  be  overlooked,  on  account  of  its 
motive,  and  that  you  will  aid  the  lady  in  judging  of 
the  value  of  my  articles,  and  of  their  reasonableness 
as  to  price,  with  your  own  superior  experience." 

Myndert  was  quite  as  much  astonished,  by  this 
language,  and  the  subdued  manner  of  the  smuggler, 
is  Ludlow  himself.  When  he  expected  the  heaviest 


324  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

demand  on  his  address,  in  order  to  check  the  usua? 
forward  and  reckless  familiarity  of  Seadrift,  in  order 
that  his  connexion  with  the  *  Skimmer  of  the  Seas 
might  be  as  much  as  possible  involved  in  ambiguity, 
to  his  own  amazement,  he  found  his  purpose  more 
than  aided  by  the  sudden  and  extraordinary  respect 
with  which  he  was  treated.  Emboldened,  and  pel  - 
haps  a  little  elevated  in  his  own  esteem,  by  this  un 
expected  deference,  which  the  worthy  Alderman, 
shrewd  as  he  was  in  common,  did  not  fail,  like  other 
men,  to  impute  to  some  inherent  quality  of  his  own, 
he  answered  with  a  greater  depth  of  voice,  and  a 
more  protecting  air,  than  he  might  otherwise  have 
deemed  it  prudent  to  assume  to  one  who  had  so  fre 
quently  given  him  proofs  of  his  own  fearless  manner 
of  viewing  things. 

"  This  is  being  more  eager  as  a  trader,  than  pru 
dent  as  one  who  should  know  the  value  of  credit ;" 
lie  said,  making,  at  the  same  time,  a  lofty  gesture  to 
betoken  indulgence  for  so  venial  an  error.  "  We 
must  overlook  the  mistake,  Captain  Ludlow ;  since, 
as  the  young  man  truly  observes  in  his  defence,  gain 
acquired  in  honest  traffic  is  a  commendable  and 
wholesome  pursuit.  One  who  appears  as  if  he  might 
not  be  ignorant  of  the  laws,  should  know  that  our 
virtuous  Queen  and  her  wise  counsellors  have  de 
cided  that  Mother  England  can  produce  most  that  a 
colonist  can  consume !  Ay !  and  that  she  can  con 
sume,  too,  most  that  the  colonist  can  produce!" 

"  I  pretend  not  to  this  ignorance,  Sir ;  but,  in  pur 
suing  my  humble  barter,  I  merely  follow  a  principle 
of  nature,  by  endeavoring  to  provide  for  my  own 
interests.  We  of  the  contraband  do  but  play  at 
hazard  with  the  authorities.  When  we  pass  the 
gauntlet  unharmed,  we  gain ;  and  when  we  lose,  the 
servants  of  the  crown  find  their  profit.  The  stakes 
are  equal,  and  the  game  should  not  be  stigmatized 
as  unfair.  Would  the  rulers  of  the  world  once  re- 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  325 

unove  the  unnecessary  shackles  they  impose  on  com 
merce,  our  calling  would  disappear,  and  the  name 
of  free-trader  would  then  belong  to  the  richest  and 
most  esteemed  houses." 

The  Alderman  drew  a  long,  low  whistle.  Motion 
ing  to  his  companions  to  be  seated,  he  placed  his 
own  compact  person  in  a  chair,  crossed  his  legs  with 
an  air  of  self-complacency,  and  resumed  the  dis 
course. 

"  These  are  very  pretty  sentiments,  Master — a — a 
— a — ,  you  bear  a  worthy  name,  no  doubt,  my  inge 
nious  commentator  on  commerce?" 

"  They  call  me  Seadrift,  when  they  spare  a  harsh 
er  term;"  returned  the  other,  meekly  declining  to 
be  seated. 

"These  are  pretty  sentiments,  Master  Seadrift, 
and  they  much  become  a  gentleman  who  lives  by 
practical  comments  on  the  revenue-laws.  This  is  a 
wise  world,  Captain  Cornelius  Ludlow,  and  in  it 
there  are  many  men  whose  heads  are  filled,  like  bales 
of  goods,  with  a  general  assortment  of  ideas. — Horn 
books  and  primers !  Here  have  Van  Bummel,  Schoen- 
broeck,  and  Van  der  Donck,  just  sent  me  a  very 
neatly-folded  pamphlet,  written  in  good  Leyden 
Dutch,  to  prove  that  trade  is  an  exchange  of  what 
the  author  calls  equivalents,  and  that  nations  have 
nothing  to  do  but  to  throw  open  their  ports,  in  order 
to  make  a  millennium  among  the  merchants  !" 

"There  are  many  ingenious  men  who  entertain 
the  same  opinions ;"  observed  Ludlow,  steady  in  his 
resolution  to  be  merely  a  quiet  observer  of  all  that 
passed. 

"What  cannot  a  cunning  head  devise,  to  spoil 
paper  with !  Trade  is  a  racer,  gentlemen,  and  mer 
chants  the  jockeys  who  ride.  He  who  carries  most 
weight  may  lose ;  but  then  nature  does  not  give  all 
men  the  same  dimensions,  and  judges  are  as  necessary 
to  the  struggles  of  the  mart  as  to  those  of  the  course. 
2C 


326  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

Go,  mount  your  gelding,  if  you  are  lucky  enough 
to  have  one  that  has  not  been  melted  into  a  weasel 
by  the  heartless  blacks,  and  ride  out  to  Harlaem 
Flats,  on  a  fine  October  day,  and  witness  the  manner 
in  which  the  trial  of  speed  is  made.  The  rogues  of 
riders  cut  in  here,  and  over  there ;  now  the  whip 
and  now  the  spur ;  and  though  they  start  fair,  which 
is  more  than  can  always  be  said  of  trade,  some  one 
is  sure  to  win.  When  it  is  neck  and  neck,  then  the 
heat  is  to  be  gone  over,  until  the  best  bottom  gains 
the  prize." 

"  Why  is  it  then  that  men  of  deep  reflection  so 
often  think  that  commerce  flourishes  most  when  least 
encumbered?" 

"  Why  is  one  man  born  to  make  laws,  and  another 
to  break  them  ? — Does  not  the  horse  run  faster  with 
his  four  legs  free,  than  when  in  hopples?  But  in  trade 
Master  Seadrift,  and  Captain  Cornelius  Ludlow,  each 
of  us  is  his  own  jockey ;  and  putting  the  aid  of  cus 
tom-house  laws  out  of  the  question,  just  as  nature 
has  happened  to  make  him.  Fat  or  lean,  big  bones 
or  fine  bones,  he  must  get  to  the  goal  as  well  as  he 
can.  Therefore  your  heavy  weights  call  out  for  sand 
bags  and  belts,  to  make  all  even.  That  the  steed 
may  be  crushed  with  his  load,  is  no  proof  that  his 
chance  of  winning  will  not  be  better  by  bringing  all 
the  riders  to  the  same  level." 

"  But  to  quit  these  similies,"  continued  Ludlow, 
"  if  trade  be  but  an  exchange  of  equivalents " 

"  Beggary  and  stoppages!"  interrupted  the  Alder 
man,  who  was  far  more  dogmatical  than  courteous 
in  argument.  "  This  is  the  language  of  men  who 
have  read  all  sorts  of  books,  but  legers.  Here  have 
I  advices  from  Tongue  and  Twaddle,  of  London, 
which  state  the  nett  proceeds  of  a  little  adventure, 
shipped  by  the  brig  Moose,  that  reached  the  river 
on  the  16th  of  April,  ultimo.  The  history  of  the 
whole  transaction  can  be  put  in  a  child's  muff— you 


THE    WATER-WITCH. 


321 


are  a  discreet  youth,  Captain  Cornelius ;  and  as  to 
you,  Master  Seadrift,  the  affair  is  altogether  out  of 
your  line— therefore,  as  I  was  observing,  here  are 
the  items,  made  out  only  a  fortnight  since,  in  the 
shape  of  a  memorandum;"  while  speaking,  the  Al 
derman  had  placed  his  spectacles  and  drawn  his 
tablets  from  a  pocket.  Adjusting  himself  to  the 
light,  he  continued :  "  Paid  bill  of  Sand,  Furnace,  and 
Glass,  for  beads,  L.  3.  2.  6. — Package  and  box,  1. 
10^ — Shipping  charges,  and  freight,  11.  4. — Insur 
ance,  averaged  at,  1.  5. — Freight,  charges,  and 
commission  of  agent  among  Mohawks,  L.  10. — Do. 
do.  do.  of  shipment  and  sale  of  furs,  in  England, 
L.  7.  2.  Total  of  costs  and  charges,  L.  20.  18.  8^,  all 
in  sterling  money.  Note,  sale  of  furs,  to  Frost  and 
Rich,  nett  avails,  L.  196.  11.  3. — Balance,  as  per 
contra,  L.  175.  12.  5j. — a  very  satisfactory  equiva 
lent  this,  Master  Cornelius,  to  appear  on  the  books 
of  Tongue  and  Twaddle,  where  I  stand  charged  with 
the  original  investment  of  L.  20.  19.  8^ !  How  much 
the  Empress  of  Germany  may  pay  the  firm  of  Frost 
and  Rich  for  the  articles,  does  not  appear." 

"  Nor  does  it  appear  that  more  was  got  for  your 
beads,  in  the  Mohawk  country,  than  they  were  valued 
«at  there,  or  was  paid  for  the  skins  than  they  were 
ivorth  where  they  were  produced." 

"  Whe — w — w — w!"  whistled  the  merchant,  as 
he  returned  the  tablets  to  his  pocket. 

-'  One  would  think  that  thou  hadst  been  studying 
the  Leyden  pamphleteer,  son  of  my  old  friend !  If 
the  savage  thinks  so  little  of  his  skins,  and  so  much 
of  my  beads,  I  shall  never  take  the  pains  to  set  him 
right;  else,  always  by  permission  of  the  Board  of 
Trade,  we  shall  see  him,  one  day,  turning  his  bark 
canoe  into  a  good  ship,  and  going  in  quest  of  his  own 
ornaments.  Enterprise  and  voyages !  Who  knows 
but  that  the  rogue  would  see  fit  to  stop  at  London, 
even ;  in  which  case  the  Mother  Country  might  lose 


328  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

the  profit  of  the  sale  at  Vienna,  and  the  Mohawk  set 
up  his  carriage,  on  the  difference  in  the  value  of  mar 
kets  !  Thus,  you  see,  in  order  to  run  a  fair  race,  the 
horses  must  start  even,  carry  equal  weights,  and, 
after  all,  one  commonly  wins.  Your  metaphysics 
are  no  better  than  so  much  philosophical  gold  leaf, 
which  a  cunning  reasoner  beats  out  into  a  sheet  as 
large  as  the  broadest  American  lake,  to  make  dunces 
believe  the  earth  can  be  transmuted  into  the  pre 
cious  material ;  while  a  plain  practical  man  puts  the 
value  of  the  metal  into  his  pocket,  in  good  current 
coin." 

"  And  yet  I  hear  you  complain  that  Parliament 
has  legislated  more  than  is  good  for  trade,  and  speak 
in  a  manner  of  the  proceedings  at  home,  that,  you 
will  excuse  me  for  saying,  would  better  become  a 
Hollander  than  a  subject  of  the  crown." 

"  Have  I  not  told  you,  that  the  horse  will  run 
faster  without  a  rider,  than  with  a  pack-saddle  on 
his  back  ?  Give  your  own  jockey  as  little,  and  your 
adversary's  as  much  weight  as  you  can,  if  you  wish 
to  win.  I  complain  of  the  borough-men,  because 
they  make  laws  for  us,  and  not  for  themselves.  Aa 
1  often  tell  my  worthy  friend,  Alderman  Gulp,  eat 
ing  is  good  for  life,  but  a  surfeit  makes  a  will  neces 
sary." 

"  From  all  which  I  infer,  that  the  opinions  of  your 
Leyden  correspondent  are  not  those  of  Mr.  Van  Be- 
verout." 

The  Alderman  laid  a  finger  on  his  nose,  and  look 
ed  at  his  companions,  for  a  moment,  without  answer 
ing. 

"  Those  Leydeners  are  a  sagacious  breed  !  If  the 
United  Provinces  had  but  ground  to  stand  on,  they 
would,  like  the  philosopher  who  boasted  of  his  lever, 
move  the  world  !  The  sly  rogues  think  that  the  Am- 
sterdammers  have  naturally  an  easy  seat,  and  they 
wish  to  persuade  all  others  to  ride  bare-back.  I 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  329 

shall  send  the  pamphlet  up  into  the  Indian  country, 
and  pay  some  scholar  to  have  it  translated  into  the 
Mohawk  tongue,  in  order  that  the  famous  chief 
Schendoh,  when  the  missionaries  shall  have  taught 
him  to  read,  may  entertain  right  views  of  equiva 
lents  !  I  am  not  "certain  that  I  may  not  make  the 
worthy  divines  a  present,  to  help  the  good  fruits  to 
ripen." 

The  Alderman  leered  round  upon  his  auditors,  and, 
folding  his  hands  meekly  on  his  breast,  he  appeared 
to  leave  his  eloquence  to  work  its  own  effects. 

"  These  opinions  favor  but  little  the  occupation  ol 
the — the  gentleman — who  now  honors  us  with  his 
company,"  said  Ludlow,  regarding  the  gay-looking 
smuggler  with  an  eye  that  showed  how  much  he  was 
embarrassed  to  find  a  suitable  appellation  for  one 
whose  appearance  was  so  much  at  variance  with  his 
pursuits.  "  If  restrictions  are  necessary  to  commerce, 
the  lawless  trader  is  surely  left  without  an  excuse  for 
his  calling." 

"  I  as  much  admire  your  discretion  in  practice,  as 
the  justice  of  your  sentiments  in  theory,  Captain  Lud 
low;"  returned  the  Alderman.  "In  a  rencontre  on 
the  high  seas,  it  would  be  your  duty  to  render  cap 
tive  the  brigantine  of  this  person ;  but,  in  what  may 
be  called  the  privacy  of  domestic  retirement,  you 
are  content  to  ease  your  mind  in  moralities !  I  feel  it 
my  duty,  too,  to  speak  on  this  point,  and  shall  take 
so  favorable  an  occasion,  when  all  is  pacific,  to  dis- 
burthen  myself  of  some  sentiments  that  suggest  them 
selves,  very  naturally,  under  the  circumstances." 
Myndert  then  turned  himself  towards  the  dealer  in 
contraband,  and  continued,  much  in  the  manner  of 
a  city  magistrate,  reading  a  lesson  of  propriety  to 
some  disturber  of  the  peace  of  society.  "  You  ap 
pear  here,  Master  Seadrift,"  he  said,  "  under  what, 
to  borrow  a  figure  from  your  profession,  may  be  called 
false  colors.  You  bear  the  countenance  of  one  who 
2C2 


330  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

might  be  a  useful  subject,  and  yet  are  you  suspected 
of  being  addicted  to  certain  practices  which — I  will 
not  say  they  are  dishonest,  or  even  discreditable — for 
on  that  head  the  opinions  of  men  are  much  divided, 
but  which  certainly  have  no  tendency  to  assist  Her 
Majesty,  in  bringing  her  wars  to  a  glorious  issue,  by 
sec  uring  to  her  European  dominions  that  monopoly 
of  trade,  by  which  it  is  her  greatest  desire  to  ease  us* 
of  the  colonies  of  looking  any  further  after  our  par 
ticular  interests,  than  beyond  the  doors  of  her  own 
custom-houses.  This  is  an  indiscretion,  to  give  the 
act  its  gentlest  appellation  ;  and  I  regret  to  add,  it  is 
accompanied  by  certain  circumstances  which  rather 
heighten  than  lessen  the  delinquency."  The  Alder 
man  paused  a  moment,  to  observe  the  effect  of  his 
admonition,  and  to  iudge,  by  the  eye  of  the  free 
trader,  how  much  faither  he  might  push  his  artifice; 
but  perceiving,  to  his  own  surprise,  that  the  other 
bent  his  face  to  the  floor,  and  stood  like  one  rebuked, 
he  took  courage  to  proceed.  "  You  have  introduced 
into  this  portion  of  my  dwelling,  which  is  exclusively 
inhabited  by  my  niece,  who  is  neither  of  a  sex  nor 
of  years  to  be  legally  arraigned  for  any  oversight  of 
this  nature,  sundries  of  which  it  is  the  pleasure  of 
the  Queen's  advisers  that  her  subjects  in  the  colonies 
should  not  know  the  use,  since,  in  the  nature  of  fab 
rications,  they  cannot  be  submitted  to  the  supervising 
care  of  the  ingenious  artisans  of  the  mother  island. 
Woman,  Master  Seadrift,  is  a  creature  liable  to  the 
influence  of  temptation,  and  in  few  things  is  she 
weaker  than  in  her  efforts  to  resist  the  allurements 
of  articles  which  may  aid  in  adorning  her  person 
My  niece,  the  daughter  of  Etienne  Barberie,  may 
also  have  an  hereditary  weakness  on  this  head,  since 
the  females  of  France  study  these  inventions  more 
than  those  of  some  other  countries.  It  is  not  my  in 
tention,  however,  to  manifest  any  unreasonable  se 
verity ;  since,  if  old  Etienne  has  communicated  any 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  331 

hereditary  feebleness  on  the  subject  of  fancy,  he  has 
also  left  his  daughter  the  means  of  paying  for  it. 
Hand  in  your  account,  therefore,  and  the  debt  shall 
be  discharged,  if  debt  has  been  incurred.  And  this 
brings  me  to  the  last  and  the  gravest  of  your  of 
fences. 

"  Capital  is  no  doubt  the  foundation  on  which  a 
merchant  builds  his  edifice  of  character,"  continued 
Myndert,  after  taking  another  jealous  survey  of  the 
countenance  of  him  he  addressed ;  "  but  credit  is  the 
ornament  of  its  front.  This  is  a  corner-stone ;  that 
the  pilasters  and  carvings,  by  which  the  building  is 
rendered  pleasant ;  sometimes,  when  age  has  under 
mined  the  basement,  it  is  the  columns  on  which  the 
superstructure  rests,  or  even  the  roof  by  which  the 
occupant  is  sheltered.  It  renders  the  rich  man  safe, 
the  dealer  of  moderate  means  active  and  respecta 
ble,  and  it  causes  even  the  poor  man  to  hold  up  his 
head  in  hope :  though  I  admit  that  buyer  and  seller 
need  both  be  wary,  when  it  stands  unsupported  by 
any  substantial  base.  This  being  the  value  of  credit, 
Master  Seadrift,  none  should  assail  it  without  suffi 
cient  cause,  for  its  quality  is  of  a  nature  too  tender 
for  rude  treatment.  I  learned,  when  a  youth,  in  my 
travels  in  Holland,  through  which  country,  by  means 
of  the  Trekschuyts,  I  passed  with  sufficient  delibera 
tion  to  profit  by  what  was  seen,  the  importance  of 
avoiding,  on  all  occasions,  bringing  credit  into  disre 
pute.  As  one  event  that  occurred  offers  an  apposite 
parallel  to  what  I  have  now  to  advance,  I  shall  make 
a  tender  of  the  facts  in  the  way  of  illustration.  The 
circumstances  show  the  awful  uncertainty  of  things 
in  this  transitory  life,  Captain  Ludlow,  and  forewan 
the  most  vigorous  and  youthful,  that  the  strong  of  arm 
may  be  cut  down,  in  his  pride,  like  the  tender  plant 
of  the  fields !  The  banking-house  of  Van  Gelt  and 
Van  Stopper,  in  Amsterdam,  had  dealt  largely  in  se 
curities  issued  by  the  Emoeror  for  the  support  of  h*« 


332  THE   WATER-WITCH. 

wars.  It  happened,  at  the  time,  that  Fortune  had 
favored  the  Ottoman,  who  was  then  pressing  the  city 
of  Belgrade,  with  some  prospects  of  success.  Well, 
Sirs,  a  headstrong  and  ill-advised  laundress  had  taken 
possession  of  an  elevated  terrace  in  the  centre  of  the 
town,  in  order  to  dry  her  clothes.  This  woman  wa 
in  the  act  of  commencing  the  distribution  of  her 
linens  and  muslins,  with  the  break  of  day,  when  the 
Mussulmans  awoke  the  garrison  by  a  rude  assault, 
Some,  who  had  been  posted  in  a  position  that  per 
mitted  of  retreat,  having  seen  certain  bundles  of 
crimson,  and  green,  and  yellow,  on  an  elevated  para 
pet,  mistook  them  for  the  heads  of  so  many  Turks ; 
and  they  spread  the  report,  far  and  near,  that  a 
countless  band  of  the  Infidels,  led  on  by  a  vast  num 
ber  of  sherriflfes  in  green  turbans,  had  gained  the  heart 
of  the  place,  before  they  were  induced  to  retire. 
The  rumor  soon  took  the  shape  of  a  circumstantial 
detail,  and,  having  reached  Amsterdam,  it  caused  the 
funds  of  the  Imperialists  to  look  down.  There  was 
much  question,  on  the  Exchange,  concerning  the 
probable  loss  of  Van  Gelt  and  Van  Stopper  in  con 
sequence.  Just  as  speculation  was  at  its  greatest 
height  on  this  head,  the  monkey  of  a  Savoyard  es 
caped  from  its  string,  and  concealed  himself  in  a  nut- 
shop,  a  few  doors  distant  from  the  banking-house  of 
the  firm,  where  a  crowd  of  Jew  boys  collected  to 
witness  its  antics.  Men  of  reflection,  seeing  what 
they  mistook  for  a  demonstration  on  the  part  of  the 
children  of  the  Israelites,  began  to  feel  uneasiness  for 
their  own  property.  Drafts  multiplied;  and  the 
worthy  bankers,  in  order  to  prove  their  solidity,  dis 
dained  to  shut  their  doors  at  the  usual  hour.  Money 
was  paid  throughout  the  night ;  and  before  noon,  on 
the  following  day,  Van  Gelt  had  cut  his  throat,  in  a 
summer-housse  that  stood  on  the  banks  of  the  Utrecht 
canal ;  and  Van  Stopper  was  seen  smoking  a  pipe, 
among  strong  boxes  that  were  entirely  empty.  At 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  333 

two  o'clock,  the  post  brought  the  intelligence  that 
the  Mussulmans  were  repulsed,  and  that  the  laundress 
was  hanged ;  though  I  never  knew  exactly  for  what 
crime,  as  she  certainly  was  not  a  debtor  of  the  un 
happy  firm.  These  are  some  of  the  warning  events 
of  life,  gentlemen ;  and  a*  I  feel  sure  of  addressing 
those  who  are  capable  of  making  the  application,  I 
shall  now  conclude  by  advising  all  who  hear  me  to 
great  discretion  of  speech  on  every  matter  connected 
with  commercial  character." 

When  Myndert  ceased  speaking,  he  threw  another 
glance  around  him,  in  order  to  note  the  effect  his 
words  had  produced,  and  more  particularly  to  ascer 
tain  whether  he  had  not  drawn  a  draft  on  the  for 
bearance  of  the  free-trader,  which  might  still  meet 
with  a  protest.  He  was  at  a  loss  to  account  for  the 
marked  and  unusual  deference  with  which  he  was 
treated,  by  one  who,  while  he  was  never  coarse, 
seldom  exhibited  much  complaisance  for  the  opinions 
of  a  man  he  was  in  the  habit  of  meeting  so  familiar 
ly,  on  matters  of  pecuniary  interest.  During  the 
whole  of  the  foregoing  harangue,  the  young  mariner 
of  the  brigantine  had  maintained  the  same  attitude 
of  modest  attention ;  and  when  his  eyes  were  per 
mitted  to  rise,  it  was  only  to  steal  uneasy  looks  at 
the  face  of  Alida.  La  belle  Barberie  had  also  listened 
to  her  uncle's  eloquence,  with  a  more  thoughtful  air 
than  common.  She  met  the  occasional  glances  of  the 
.iealer  in  contraband,  with  answering  sympathy  ; 
and,  in  short,  the  most  indifferent  observer  of  their 
deportment  might  have  seen  that  circumstances  had 
created  between  them  a  confidence  and  intelligence 
which,  if  it  were  not  absolutely  of  the  most  tender, 
was  unequivocally  of  the  most  intimate,  character. 
All  this  Ludlow  plainly  saw,  though  the  burgher  had 
been  too  much  engrossed  with  the  ideas  he  had  so 
complacently  dealt  out,  to  note  the  fact. 

**  Now  that  my  mind  is  so  well  stored  with  maxims 


THE    WATER-WITCH. 

on  commerce,  which  I  shall  esteem  as  so  many  com 
mentaries  on  the  instructions  of  my  Lords  of  the 
Admiralty,"  observed  the  Captain,  after  a  brief  in 
terval  of  silence,  "  it  may  be  permitted  to  turn  our 
attention  to  things  less  metaphysical.  The  present 
occasion  is  favorable  to  inquire  after  the  fate  of  the 
shipmate  we  lost  in  the  last  cruise ;  and  it  ought  no 
to  be  neglected." 

"  You  speak  truth,  Mr.  Cornelius — The  Patroon 
of  Kinderhook  is  not  a  man  to  fall  into  the  sea,  like 
an  anker  of  forbidden  liquor,  and  no  questions  asked. 
Leave  this  matter  to  my  discretion,  Sir ;  and  trust 
me,  the  tenants  of  the  third  best  estate  in  the  colony 
shall  not  long  be  without  tidings  of  their  landlord. 
If  you  will  accompany  Master  Seadrift  into  the  other 
part  of  the  villa  for  a  reasonable  time,  I  shall  possess 
myself  of  all  the  facts  that  are  at  all  pertinent  to 
the  right  understanding  of  the  case." 

The  commander  of  the  royal  cruiser,  and  the 
young  mariner  of  the  brigantine,  appeared  to  think 
that  a  compliance  with  this  invitation  would  bring 
about  a  singular  association.  The  hesitation  of  the 
latter,  however,  was  far  the  mo&t  visible,  since  Lud- 
low  had  coolly  determined  to  maintain  his  neutral 
character,  until  a  proper  moment  to  act,  as  a  faithful 
servitor  of  his  royal  mistress,  should  arrive.  He 
knew,  or  firmly  believed,  that  the  Water-Witch 
again  lay  in  the  Cove,  concealed  by  the  shadows  of 
the  surrounding  wood ;  and  as  he  had  once  before 
suffered  by  the  superior  address  of  the  smugglers,  he 
was  now  resolved  to  act  with  so  much  caution,  as  to 
enable  him  to  return  to  his  ship  in  time  to  proceed 
against  her  with  decision,  and,  as  he  hoped,  with 
effect.  In  addition  to  this  motive  for  artifice,  there 
was  that  in  the  manner  and  language  of  the  contra 
band  dealer  to  place  him  altogether  above  the  ordi 
nary  men  of  his  pursuit,  and  indeed  to  create  in  his 
favor  a  certain  degree  of  interest,  which  the  officei 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  335 

of  the  crown  was  compelled  to  admit.  He  therefore 
bowed  with  sufficient  courtesy,  and  professed  his 
readiness  to  follow  the  suggestions  of  the  Alderman. 

"  We  have  met  on  neutral  ground,  Master  Sea- 
drift,"  said  Ludlow  to  his  gay  companion,  as  they 
juitted  the  saloon  of  la  Cour  des  Fees ;  "  and  though 
bent  on  different  objects,  we  may  discourse  amicably 
of  the  past.  The  '  Skimmer  of  the  Seas'  has  a  repu 
tation  in  his  way,  that  almost  raises  him  to  the  level 
of  a  seaman  distinguished  in  a  better  service.  I  will 
ever  testify  to  his  skill  and  coolness  as  a  mariner, 
however  much  I  may  lament  that  those  fine  qualities 
have  received  so  unhappy  a  direction." 

"  This  is  speaking  with  a  becoming  reservation  for 
the  rights  of  the  crown,  and  with  meet  respect  for 
the  Barons  of  the  Exchequer!"  retorted  Seadrift, 
whose  former,  and  we  may  say  natural,  spirit  seemed 
to  return,  as  he  left  the  presence  of  the  burgher. 
"  We  follow  the  pursuit,  Captain  Ludlow,  in  which 
accident  has  cast  our  fortunes.  You  serve  a  Queen 
you  never  saw,  and  a  nation  who  will  use  you  in  hei 
need  and  despise  you  in  her  prosperity ;  and  I  serve 
myself.  Let  reason  decide  between  us." 

"  I  admire  this  frankness,  Sir,  and  have  hopes  of 
a  better  understanding  between  us,  now  that  you 
have  done  with  the  mystifications  of  your  sea-green 
woman.  The  farce  has  been  well  enacted ;  though, 
with  the  exception  of  Oloff  Van  Staats  and  those 
enlightened  spirits  you  lead  about  the  ocean,  it  has 
not  made  many  converts  to  necromancy." 

The  free-trader  permitted  his  handsome  mouth  to 
relax  in  a  smile. 

"  We  have  our  mistress,  too,"  he  said ;  "  but  she 
xacts  no  tribute.  All  that  is  gained  goes  to  enrich 
her  subjects,  while  all  that  she  knows  is  cheerfully 
imparted  for  their  use.  If  we  are  obedient,  it  is  be 
cause  we  have  experienced  her  justice  and  wisdom 


336  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

I  hope  Queen  Anne  deals  as  kindly  by  those  who 
risk  life  and  limb  in  her  cause?" 

"  Is  it  part  of  the  policy  of  her  you  follow,  to  re 
veal  the  fate  of  the  Patroon ;  for  though  rivals  in 
one  dear  object — or  rather  I  should  say,  once  rivals 
in  that  object — I  cannot  see  a  guest  quit  my  ship 
cvith  so  little  ceremony,  without  an  interest  in  his 
welfare." 

"  You  make  a  just  distinction,"  returned  Seadrift, 
smiling  still  more  meaningly — "  Once  rivals  is  indeed 
the  better  expression.  Mr.  Van  Staats  is  a  brave 
man,  however  ignorant  he  may  be  of  the  seaman's 
art.  One  who  has  showed  so  much  spirit  will  be 
certain  of  protection  from  personal  injury,  in  the 
care  of  the  '  Skimmer  of  the  Seas.' " 

"  I  do  not  constitute  myself  the  keeper  of  Mr.  Van 
Staats;  still,  as  the  commander  of  the  ship  whence 
he  has  been — what  shall  I  term  the  manner  of  his 
abduction? — for  I  would  not  willingly  use,  at  this 
moment,  a  term  that  may  prove  disagreeable " 

"  Speak  freely,  Sir,  and  fear  not  to  offend.  We  of 
the  brigantine  are  accustomed  to  divers  epithets  that 
might  startle  less  practised  ears.  We  are  not  to 
learn,  at  this  late  hour,  that,  in  order  to  become 
respectable,  roguery  must  have  the  sanction  of  gov 
ernment.  You  were  pleased,  Captain  Ludlow,  to 
name  the  mystifications  of  the  Water- Witch ;  but 
you  seem  indifferent  to  those  that  are  hourly  prac 
tised  near  you  in  the  world,  and  which,  without  the 
pleasantry  of  this  of  ours,  have  not  half  its  inno 
cence." 

"  There  is  little  novelty  in  the  expedient  of  seek 
ing  to  justify  the  delinquency  of  individuals,  by  the 
ailings  of  society." 

"  I  confess  it  is  rather  just  than  original.  Triteness 
and  Truth  appear  to  be  sisters !  And  yet  do  we  find 
ourselves  driven  to  this  apology,  since  the  refinement 
of  us  of  the  brigantine  has  not  yet  attained  to  the 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  337 

point  of  understanding  all  the  excellence  of  novelty 
in  morals.*' 

"  I  believe  there  is  a  mandate  of  sufficient  anti 
quity,  which  bids  us  to  render  unto  Caesar  the  things 
which  are  Caesar's." 

"  A  mandate  which  our  modern  Caesars  have  most 
iberally  construed !  I  am  a  poor  casuist,  Sir;  nor  do 
I  think  the  loyal  commander  of  the  Coquette  would 
wish  to  uphold  all  that  sophistry  can  invent  on  such 
a  subject.  If  we  begin  with  potentates,  for  instance, 
we  shall  find  the  Most  Christian  King  bent  on  ap 
propriating  as  many  of  his  neighbors'  goods  to  his 
own  use,  as  ambition,  under  the  name  of  glory,  can 
covet ;  the  Most  Catholic,  covering  with  the  mantle 
of  his  Catholicity,  a  greater  multitude  of  enormities 
on  this  very  continent,  than  even  charity  itself  could 
conceal ;  and  our  own  gracious  Sovereign,  whose 
virtues  and  whose  mildness  are  celebrated  in  verse 
and  prose,  causing  rivers  of  blood  to  run,  in  order 
that  the  little  island  over  which  she  rules  may  swell 
out,  like  the  frog  in  the  fable,  to  dimensions  that  na 
ture  has  denied,  and  which  will  one  day  inflict  the 
unfortunate  death  that  befell  the  ambitious  inhabit 
ant  of  the  pool.  The  gallows  awaits  the  pickpocket ; 
but  your  robber  under  a  pennant  is  dubbed  a  knight! 
The  man  who  amasses  wealth  by  gainful  industry  is 
ashamed  of  his  origin  ;  while  he  who  has  stolen  from 
churches,  laid  villages  under  contribution,  and  cut 
throats  by  thousands,  to  divide  the  spoils  of  a  galleon 
or  a  military  chest,  has  gained  gold  on  the  highway 
of  glory  !  Europe  has  reached  an  exceeding  pass  of 
civilization,  it  may  not  be  denied ;  but  before  society 
inflicts  so  severe  censure  on  the  acts  of  individuals, 
notwithstanding  the  triteness  of  the  opinion,  I  must 
say  it  is  bound  to  look  more  closely  to  the  example 
it  sets,  in  its  collective  character." 

"These  are  points  on  which  our  difference  of 
opinion  is  likely  to  be  lasting ;"  said  Ludlow,  assuming 
2D 


335  THE  WATER-WITCH 

the  severe  air  of  one  who  had  the  workl  on  his  side, 
"  We  will  defer  the  discussion  to  a  moment  of  greater 
leisure^  Sir.  Arn  I  to  learn  more  of  Mr.  Van  fctaats, 
or  is  the  question  of  his  fate  to  become  the  subject 
of  a  serious  official  inquiry  t" 

"  The  Patroon  of  Kinderhook  is  a  bold  hoarder  ' 
returned  the  free-trader,  laughing.  "  He  has  carried 
the  residence  of  the  lady  of  the  brigantine  by  a 
roup-de-rnain  ;  and  he  reposes  on  his  laurels  !  We  of 
the  contraband  are  merrier  in  our  privacy  than  is 
thought,  and  those  who  join  our  mess  seldom  wish  to 
quit  it." 

"  There  may  be  occasion  to  look  further  into  its 
mysteries — until  when,  I  wish  you  adieu." 

"Hold!"  gaily  cried  the  other,  observing  that 
Ludiow  was  about  to  quit  the  room—"  Let  the  time 
of  our  uncertainty  be  short,  I  pray  thee.  Our  mis 
tress  is  like  the  insect,  which  takes  the  color  of  the 
leaf  on  which  it  dwells.  You  have  seen  her  in  her 
sea-green  robe,  which  she  never  fails  to  wear  when 
roving  over  the  soundings  of  your  American  coast ; 
but  in  the  deep  waters,  Her  mantle  vies  with  the 
blue  of  the  ocean's  depths.  Symptoms  of  a  change, 
xvhich  always  denote  an  intended  excursion  far  be- 
.yond  the  influence  of  the  land,  have  been  seen !" 

"Harkee,  Master  Seadriit !  This  foolery  may  do, 
while  you  possess  the  power  to  maintain  it.  But  re 
member,  that  though  the  law  only  punishes  the  ille 
gal  trader  by  confiscation  of  his  goods  when  taken, 
it  punishes  the  kidnapper  with  personal  pains,  and 
sometimes  with — death  ! — And,  more — remember 
that  the  line  which  divides  smuggling  from  piracy  is 
asily  past,  while  the  return  becomes  impossible." 

"  For  this  generous  counsel,  in  my  mistress's  name, 

thank  thee;"  the  gay  mariner  replied,  bowing 
with  a  gravity  that  rather  heightened  than  concealed 
his  irony — "  Your  Coquette  is  broad  in  the  reach  of 
her  booms,  and  swift  on  the  water,  Captain  Ludiow  •. 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  339 

out  let  her  be  capricious,  wilful,  deceitful,  nay  pow 
erful,  as  she  may,  she  shall  find  a  woman  in  the  brig., 
antine  equal  to  all  her  arts,  and  far  superior  to  all 
her  threats!" 

With  this  prophetic  warning  on  the  part  of  the 
Queen's  officer,  and  cool  reply  on  that  of  the  dealer 
in  contraband,  the  two  sailors  separated.  The  lat 
ter  took  a  book,  and  threw  himself  into  a  chair,  with 
a  well-maintained  indifference ;  while  the  other  left 
the  house,  in  a  haste  that  was  not  disguised. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  interview  between  Alder 
man  Van  Beverout  and  his  niece  still  continued. 
Minute  passed  after  minute,  and  yet  there  was  no 
summons  to  the  pavilion.  The  gay  young  seaman 
of  the  brigantine  had  continued  his  studies  for  some 
time  after  the  disappearance  of  Ludlow,  and  he 
now  evidently  awaited  an  intimation  that  his  presence 
was  required  in  la  Cour  des  Fees.  During  these  mo 
ments  of  anxiety,  the  air  of  the  free-trader  was  sor 
rowful  rather  than  impatient;  and  when  a  footstep 
was  heard  at  the  door  of  the  room,  he  betrayed 
symptoms  of  strong  and  uncontrollable  agitation.  It 
was  the  female  attendant  of  Alida,  who  entered, 
presented  a  slip  of  paper,  and  retired.  The  eager 
expectant  read  the  following  words,  hastily  written 
in  pencil: — 

"  I  have  evaded  all  his  questions,  and  he  is  more 
than  half-disposed  to  believe  in  necromancy.  This 
is  not  the  moment  to  confess  the  truth,  for  he  is  no 
in  a  condition  to  hear  it,  being  already  much  dis 
turbed  by  the  uncertainty  of  what  may  follow  the 
appearance  of  the  brigantine  on  the  coast,  and  so 
near  his  own  villa.  But,  be  assured,  he  shall  and 
will  acknowledge  claims  that  I  know  how  to  support, 
and  which,  should  I  fail  of  establishing,  he  would 
not  dare  to  refuse  to  the  redoubtable  *  Skimmer  of 
the  Seas.'  Come  hither,  the  moment  you  hear  his 
foot  in  the  passage." 


340  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

The  last  injunction  was  soon  obeyed.  The  Alder 
man  entered  by  one  door,  as  the  active  fugitive  re 
treated  by  another ;  and  where  the  weary  burgher 
expected  to  see  his  guests,  he  found  an  empty  apart 
ment.  This  last  circumstance,  however,  gave  Myn- 
dert  Van  Beverout  but  little  surprise  and  no  concern, 
as  would  appear  by  the  indifference  with  which  he 
noted  the  circumstance. 

"  Vagaries  and  womanhood  ! "  thought,  rather  than 
muttered,  the  Alderman.  "  The  jade  turns  like  a  fox 
in  his  tracks,  and  it  would  be  easier  to  convict  a 
merchant  who  values  his  reputation,  of  a  false  in 
voice,  than  this  minx  of  nineteen  of  an  indiscretion ! 
There  is  so  much  of  old  Etienne  and  his  Norman 
blood  in  her  eye,  that  one  does  not  like  to  provoke 
extremities ;  but  here,  when  I  expected  Van  Staats 
had  profited  by  his  opportunity,  the  girl  looks  like  a 
nun,  at  the  mention  of  his  name.  The  Patroon  is  no 
Cupid,  we  must  allow ;  or,  in  a  week  at  sea,  he  would 
have  won  the  heart  of  a  mermaid  ! — Ay — and  here 
are  more  perplexities,  by  the  return  of  the  Skimmer 
and  his  brig,  and  the  notions  that  young  Ludlow  has 
of  his  duty.  Life  and  mortality!  One  must  quit  trade, 
at  some  time  or  other,  and  begin  to  close  the  books 
of  life.  I  must  seriously  think  of  striking  a  final  bal 
ance.  If  the  sum-total  was  a  little  more  in  my  favor, 
it  should  be  gladly  done  to-morrow !" 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  341 


CHAPTEE  XXY. 

" — Thou,  Julia,  thou  hast  metamorphosed  me ; 

Made  me  neglect  my  studies,  lose  my  time, 

War  with  good  counsel,  set  the  world  at  nought." 

Two  GENTLEMEN  OF  VERONA. 

LUDLOW  quitting  the  Lust  in  Rust  with  a  wavering 
purpose.  Throughout  the  whole  of  the  preceding  in 
terview,  he  had  jealously  watched  the  eye  and  fea 
tures  of  la  belle  Barberie ;  and  he  had  not  failed  to 
draw  his  conclusions  from  a  mien  that  too  plainly 
expressed  a  deep  interest  in  the  free-trader.  For  a 
time,  only,  had  he  been  induced,  by  the  calmness 
and  self-possession  with  which  she  received  her  uncle 
and  himself,  to  believe  that  she  had  not  visited  the 
Water- Witch  at  all ;  but  when  the  gay  and  reckless 
being  who  governed  the  movements  of  that  extra 
ordinary  vessel,  appeared,  he  could  no  longer  flatter 
himself  with  this  hope.  He  now  believed  that  her 
choice  for  life  had  been  made ;  and  while  he  deplored 
the  infatuation  which  could  induce  so  gifted  a  woman 
to  forget  her  station  and  character,  he  .was  himself 
too  frank  not  to  see  that  the  individual  who  had  in 
so  short  a  time  gained  this  ascendency  over  the  feel 
ings  of  Alida,  was,  in  many  respects,  fitted  to  exer 
cise  a  powerful  influence  over  the  imagination  of  a 
youthful  and  secluded  female. 

There  was  a  struggle  in  the  mind  of  the  young 
commander,  between  his  duty  and  his  feelings.  Re 
membering  the  artifice  by  which  he  had  formerly 
fallen  into  the  power  of  the  smugglers,  he  had  taken 
his  precautions  so  well  in  the  present  visit  to  the 
villa,  that  he  firmly  believed  he  had  the  person  of 
his  lawless  rival  at  his  mercy.  To  avail  himself  of  this 
advantage,  or  to  retire  and  leave  him  in  possession  of 
his  mistress  and  his  liberty,  was  the  point  mooted  in 
2D2 


342  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

his  thoughts.  Though  direct  and  simple  in  his  habits, 
like  most  of  the  seamen  of  that  age,  Ludlow  had  all 
the  loftier  sentiments  that  become  a  gentleman.  He 
felt  keenly  for  Alida,  and  he  shrunk,  with  sensitive 
pride,  from  incurring  the  imputation  of  having  acted 
under  the  impulses  of  disappointment.  To  these 
motives  of  forbearance,  was  also  to  be  added  the 
inherent  reluctance  which,  as  an  officer  of  rank, 
he  felt  to  the  degradation  of  being  employed  in  a 
duty  that  more  properly  belongs  to  men  of  less  ele 
vated  ambition.  He  looked  on  himself  as  a  defender 
of  the  rights  and  glory  of  his  sovereign,  and  not  as 
a  mercenary  instrument  of  those  who  collected  her 
customs;  and  though  he  would  not  have  hesitated 
to  incur  any  rational  hazard,  in  capturing  the  vessel 
of  the  smuggler,  or  in  making  captives  of  all  or  any 
of  her  crew  on.  their  proper  element,  he  disliked  the 
appearance  of  seeking  a  solitary  individual  on  the 
land.  In  addition  to  this  feeling,  there  was  his  own 
pledge  that  he  met  the  proscribed  dealer  in  contra 
band  on  neutral  ground.  Still  the  officer  of  the  Queen 
had  his  orders,  and  he  could  not  shut  his  eyes  to  the 
general  obligations  of  duty.  The  brigantine  was 
known  to  inflict  so  much  loss  on  the  revenue  of  the 
crown,  more  particularly  in  the  other  hemisphere, 
that  an  especial  order  had  been  issued  by  the  Ad 
miral  of  the  station,  for  her  capture.  Here  then  was 
an  opportunity  of  depriving  the  vessel  of  that  master 
spirit  which,  notwithstanding  the  excellence  of  its 
construction,  had  alone  so  long  enabled  it  to  run  the 
gauntlet  of  a  hundred  cruisers  with  impunity.  Agi 
tated  by  these  contending  feelings  and  reflections, 
the  young  sailor  left  the  door  of  the  villa,  and  cam 
upon  its  little  lawn,  in  order  to  reflect  with  less  in 
terruption,  and,  indeed,  to  breatbe  more  freely. 

The  night  had  advanced  into  the  first  watch  of 
the  seaman.  The  shadow  of  the  mountain,  however 
still  covered  the  grounds  of  the  villa,  the  river,  and 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  343 

be  shores  of  the  Atlantic,  with  a  darkness  that  was 
deeper  than  the  obscurity  which  dimmed  the  surface 
of  the  rolling  ocean  beyond.  Objects  were  so  indis 
tinct  as  to  require  close  and  steady  looks  to  ascertain 
their  character,  while  the  setting  of  the  scene  might 
be  faintly  traced  by  its  hazy  and  indistinct  outlines. 
The  curtains  of  la  Cour  des  Fees  had  been  drawn, 
and,  though  the  lights  were  still  shining  within,  the 
eye  could  not  penetrate  the  pavilion.  Ludlow  gazed 
about  him,  and  then  held  his  way  reluctantly  towards1 
the  water. 

In  endeavoring  to  conceal  the  interior  of  her 
apartment  from  the  eyes  of  those  without,  Alida  had 
Buffered  a  corner  of  the  drapery  to  remain  open. 
When  Ludlow  reached  the  gate  that  led  to  the 
landing,  he  turned  to  take  a  last  look  at  the  villa ; 
and,  favored  by  his  new  position,  he  caught  a  glimpse, 
through  the  opening,  of  the  person  of  her  who  was 
still  uppermost  in  his  thoughts. 

La  belle  Barberie  was  seated  at  the  little  table, 
by  whose  side  she  had  been  found,  earlier  in  the 
evening.  An  elbow  rested  on  the  precious  wood,  and 
one  fair  hand  supported  a  brow  that  was  thoughtful 
far  beyond  the  usual  character  of  its  expression,  if 
not  melancholy.  The  commander  of  the  Coquette 
felt  the  blood  rushing  to  his  heart,  for  he  fancied  that 
the  beautiful  and  pensive  countenance  was  that  of  a 
penitent.  It  is  probable  that  the  idea  quickened  his 
drooping  hopes ;  for  Ludlow  believed  it  might  not 
yet  be  too  late  to  rescue  the  woman,  he  so  sincerely 
loved,  from  the  precipice  over  which  she  was  sus 
pended.  The  seemingly  irretrievable  step,  already 
taken,  was  forgotten  ;  and  the  generous  young  sailor 
was  about  to  rush  back  to  la  Cour  des  Fees,  to  im 
plore  its  mistress  to  be  just  to  herself,  when  the  hand 
fell  from  her  polished  brow,  and  Alida  raised  her 
ace,  with  a  look  which  denoted  that  she  was  no 


344  THE    WATER-WITCH; 

longer  alone.    The  captain  drew  back,  to  watch  tho 
issue. 

When  Alida  lifted  her  eyes,  it  was  in  kindness, 
and  with  that  frank  ingenuousness  with  which  an 
unperverted  female  greets  the  countenance  of  those 
who  have  her  confidence.  She  smiled,  though  still 
in  sadness  rather  than  in  pleasure ;  and  she  spoke, 
but  the  distance  prevented  her  words  from  being 
audible.  At  the  next  instant,  Seadrift  moved  into 
the  space  visible  through  the  half-drawn  drapery, 
and  took  her  hand.  Alida  made  no  effort  to  with 
draw  the  member ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  she  looked 
up  into  his  face  with  still  less  equivocal  interest,  and 
appeared  to  listen  to  his  voice  with  an  absorbed  at 
tention.  The  gate  was  swung  violently  open,  and 
Ludlow  had  reached  the  margin  of  the  river  before 
he  again  paused. 

The  barge  of  the  Coquette  was  found  where  her 
commander  had  ordered  his  people  to  lie  concealed, 
and  he  was  about  to  enter  it,  when  the  noise  of  the 
little  gate,  again  shutting  with  the  wind,  induced  him 
to  cast  a  look  behind.  A  human  form  was  distinctly 
to  be  seen,  against  the  light  walls  of  the  villa, 
descending  towards  the  river.  The  men  were  com 
manded  to  keep  close,  and,  withdrawing  within  the 
shadow  of  a  fence,  the  captain  waited  the  approach 
of  the  new-comer. 

As  the  unknown  person  passed,  Ludlow  recognized 
the  agile  form  of  the  free-trader.  The  latter  ad 
vanced  to  the  margin  of  the  river,  and  gazed  warily 
about  him  for  several  minutes.  A  Jow^  but  distinct 
note,  on  a  common  ship's-call,  was  then  heard.  The 
summons  was  soon  succeeded  by  the  appearance  of 
a  small  skifF,  which  glided  out  of  the  grass  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  stream,  and  approached  tl  e  spot 
where  Seadrift  awaited  its  arrival.  The  free-trader 
sprang  lightly  into  the  little  boat,  which  immediately 
began  to  glide  out  of  the  river.  As  the  skiif  passed 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  345 

the  spot  where  he  stood,  Ludlow  saw  that  it  was 
pulled  by  a  single  seaman ;  and,  as  his  own  boat  was 
manned  by  six  lusty  rowers,  he  felt  that  the  person 
of  the  man  whom  he  so  much  envied  was  at  length 
fairly  and  honorably  in  his  power.  We  shall  not  at 
tempt  to  analyze  the  emotion  that  was  ascendant  ia 
the  mind  of  the  young  officer.  It  is  enough  for  our 
purpose  to  add,  that  he  was  soon  in  his  boat  and  in 
full  pursuit. 

As  the  course  to  be  taken  by  the  barge  was  diago 
nal  rather  than  direct,  a  few  powerful  strokes  ot 
the  oars  brought  it  so  near  the  skiff,  that  Ludlow, 
by  placing  his  hand  on  the  gunwale  of  the  latter, 
could  arrest  its  progress. 

"  Though  so  lightly  equipped,  fortune  favors  you 
less  in  boats  than  in  larger  craft,  Master  Seadrift ;" 
said  Ludlow,  when,  by  virtue  of  a  strong  arm,  he 
had  drawn  his  prize  so  near,  as  to  find  himself  seated 
within  a  few  feet  of  his  prisoner.  "  We  meet  on  our 
proper  element,  where  there  can  be  no  ^neutrality 
between  one  of  the  contraband  and  a  servant  of  the 
Queen." 

The  start,  the  half-repressed  exclamation,  and  the 
momentary  silence,  showed  that  the  captive  had  been 
taken  completely  by  surprise. 

"  I  admit  your  superior  dexterity,"  he  at  length 
said,  speaking  low  and  not  without  agitation.  "I 
am  your  prisoner,  Captain  Ludlow ;  and  I  would  now 
wish  to  know  your  intentions  in  disposing  of  my  per 
son." 

"  That  is  soon  answered.  You  must  be  content  to 
take  the  homely  accommodations  of  the  Coquette, 
for  the  night,  instead  of  the  more  luxurious  cabin  ol 
vour  Water- Witch.  What  the  authorities  of  the 
Province  may  decide,  to-morrow,  it  exceeds  the 
knowledge  of  a  poor  commander  in  the  navy  to  say." 

'•  The  lord  Cornbury  has  retired  to 1" 

<»  A  gaol,"  said  Ludlow,  observing  that  the  other 


346  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

spoke  more  like  one  who  mused  than  like  one  who 
asked  a  question.  "  The  kinsman  of  our  gracious 
Queen  speculates  on  the  chances  of  human  fortune, 
within  the  walls  of  a  prison.  His  successor,  the 
brigadier  Hunter,  is  thought  to  have  less  sympathy 
for  the  moril  infirmities  of  human  nature!" 

"  We  deal  lightly  with  dignities!"  exclaimed  the 
captive,  with  all  his  former  gaiety  of  tone  and  man 
ner.  "You  have  your  revenge  for  some  personal 
liberties  that  were  certainly  taken,  not  a  fortnight 
since,  with  this  boat  and  her  crew  ;  still,  I  have  much 
mistaken  your  character,  if  unnecessary  severity 
forms  one  of  its  features.  May  I  communicate  with 
the  brigantine  1 " 

"  Freely — when  she  is  once  in  the  care  oi  a 
Queen's  officer." 

"  Oh,  Sir,  you  disparage  the  qualities  of  my  m.s- 
tress,  in  supposing  there  exists  a  parallel  with  your 
own  !  The  Water- Witch  will  go  at  large,  till  a  far 
different  personage  shall  become  your  captive. — May 
I  communicate  with  the  shore  ?" 

"  To  that  there  exists  no  objection — if  you  will 
point  out  the  means." 

"  I  have  one,  here,  who  will  prove  a  faithful  mes 
senger." 

"  Too  faithful  to  the  delusion  which  governs  all 
your  followers !  Yoiir  man  must  be  your  companion 
in  the  Coquette,  Master  Seadrift,  though ;"  and  Lud- 
lovv  spoke  in  melancholy,  "  if  there  be  any  on  the 
land,  who  take  so  near  an  interest  in  your  welfare 
as  to  find  more  sorrow  in  uncertainty  than  in  the 
tiuth,  one  of  my  own  crew,  in  any  of  whom  confi 
dence  may.be  placed,  shall  do  your  errand." 

"  Let  it  be  so ;"  returned  the  free-trader,  as  if 
satisfied  that  he  could,  in  reason,  expect  no  more. 
"  Take  this  ring  to  the  lady  of  yonder  dwelling,"  he 
continued,  when  Ludlow  had  selected  the  messenger, 
"  and  say  that  he  who  sends  it  is  about  to  visit  the 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  347 

cruiser  of  Queen  Anne  in  company  with  rer  com 
mander.  Should  there  be  question  of  the  motive, 
you  can  speak  to  the  manner  of  my  arrest." 

"And,  mark  me,  fellow — "  added  his  captain; 
"  that  duty  done,  look  to  the  idlers  on  the  shore,  and 
see  that  no  boat  quits  the  river,  to  apprize  the  smug 
glers  of  their  loss." 

The  man,  who'  was  armed  in  the  fashion  of  a  sea 
man  on  hoat  duty,  received  these  orders  with  the 
customary  deference;  and  the  barge  having  drawn 
to  the  shore  for  that  purpose,  he  landed. 

"  And  now,  Master  Seadrift,  having  thus  far  com 
plied  with  your  wishes,  I  may  expect  you  will  not  be 
deaf  to  mine.  Here  is  a  seat  at  your  service  in  my 
barge,  and  I  confess  it  will  please  me  to  see  it  occu 
pied." 

As  the  captain  spoke,  he  reached  forth  an  arm, 
partly  in  natural  complaisance,  and  partly  with  a 
carelessness  that  denoted  some  consciousness  of  the 
difference  in  their  rank,  both  to  aid  the  other  to 
comply  with  his  request,  and,  at  need,  to  enforce  it. 
But  the  free-trader  seemed  to  repel  the  mrniliarity ; 
for  he  drew  back,  at  first,  like  one  who  shrunk  sen 
sitively  from  the  contact,  and  then,  without  touching 
the  arm  that  was  extended  with  a  purpose  so  equivo 
cal,  he  passed  lightly  from  the  skiff  into  the  barge, 
declining  assistance.  The  movement  was  scarcely 
made,  before  Ludlow  quitted  the  latter,  and  occu 
pied  the  place  which  Seadrift  had  just  vacated.  He 
commanded  one  of  his  men  to  exchange  with  the 
seaman  of  the  brigantine ;  and,  having  made  these 
preparations,  he  again  addressed  his  prisoner. 

"  I  commit  you  to  the  care  of  my  cockswain  and 
these  worthy  tar  s,  Master  Seadrift.  We  shall  steer 
different  ways.  You  will  take  possession  of  my  cabin, 
where  all  will  be  at  your  disposal ;  ere  the  middle 
•vatch  is  called,  I  shall  be  there  to  prevent  the  pen 


348  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

nant  from  coming  down,  and  your  sea-green  flag 
turning  the  people's  heads  from  their  allegiance." 

Ludlow  then  whispered  his  orders  to  his  cockswain, 
and  they  separated.  The  barge  proceeded  to  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  with  the  long  and  stately  sweep 
of  the  oars,  that  marks  the  progress  of  a  man-of 
war's  boat;  while  the  skiff  followed,  noiselessly 
and,  aided  by  its  color  and  dimensions,  nearly  invisi 
ble.  , 

When  the  two  boats  entered  the  waters  of  the 
oay,  the  barge  held  on  its  course  towards  the  distant 
ship ;  while  the  skiff  inclined  to  the  right,  and  steer 
ed  directly  for  the  bottom  of  the  Cove.  The  precau 
tion  of  the  dealer  in  contraband  had  provided  hia 
little  boat  with  muffled  sculls ;  and  Ludlow,  when 
he  was  enabled  to  discover  the  fine  tracery  of  the 
lofty  and  light  spars  of  the  Water- Witch,  as  they 
rose  above  the  tops  of  the  dwarf  trees  that  linec? 
the  shore,  had  no  reason  to  think  his  approach  was 
known.  Once  assured  of  the  presence  and  position 
of  the  brigantine,  he  was  enabled  to  make  his  ad 
vances  with  all  the  caution  that  might  be  necessary. 

Some  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  were  required  to  bring 
the  skitF  beneath  the  bowsprit  of  the  beautiful  craft, 
without  giving  the  alarm  to  those  who  doubtless  were 
watching  on  her  decks.  The  success  of  our  adven 
turer,  however,  appeared  to  be  complete;  for  he 
was  soon  holding  by  the  cable,  and  not  the  smallest 
sound,  of  any  kind,  had  been  heard  in  the  brigantine. 
Ludlow  now  regretted  he  had  not  entered  the  Cove 
with  his  barge ;  for,  so  profound  and  unsuspecting 
was  the  quiet  of  the  vessel,  that  he  doubted  not  of 
his  ability  to  have  carried  her  by  a  coup-de-main. 
Vexed  by  his  oversight,  and  incited  by  the  prospects 
of  success,  he  began  to  devise  those  expedients  which 
would  naturally  suggest  themselves  to  a  seaman  in 
his  situation. 

The  wind  was  southerly,  and,  though  not  strong 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  349 

ii  was  charged  with  the  dampness  and  heaviness  of 
ihe  night  air.  As  the  brigantine  lay  protected  from 
the  influence  of  the  tides,  she  obeyed  the  currents 
of  the  other  element ;  and,  while  her  bows  looked 
outward,  her  stern  pointed  towards  the  bottom  of 
the  basin.  TV  distance  from  the  land  was  not  fifty 
fathoms,  and  Ludlow  did  not  fail  to  perceive  that 
the  vessel  rode  by  a  kedge,  and  that  her  anchors, 
of  which  there  was  a  good  provision,  were  all  snugly 
stowed.  These  facts  induced  the  hope  that  he  might 
separate  the  hawser  that  alone  held  the  brigantine, 
which,  in  the  event  of  his  succeeding,  he  had  every 
reason  to  believe  would  drift  ashore,  before  the  alarm 
could  be  given  to  her  crew,  sail  set,  or  an  anchor  let 
go.  Although  neither  he  nor  his  companion  possessed 
any  other  implement  to  effect  this  object,  than  the 
large  seaman's  knife  of  the  latter,  the  temptation 
was  too  great  not  to  make  the  trial.  The  project 
was  flattering ;  for,  though  the  vessel  in  that  situa 
tion  would  receive  no  serious  injury,  the  unavoidable 
delay  of  heaving  her  off  the  sands  would  enable  his 
boats,  and  perhaps  the  ship  herself,  to  reach  the 
place  in  time  to  secure  their  prize.  The  bargeman 
was  asked  for  his  knife,  and  Ludlow  himself  made 
the  first  cut  upon  the  solid  and  difficult  mass.  The 
steel  had  no  sooner  touched1  the  compact  yarns,  than 
a  dazzling  glare  of  light  shot  into  the  face  of  him 
who  held  it.  Recovering  from  the  shock,  and  rub 
bing  his  eyes,  our  startled  adventurer  gazed  upwards, 
with  that  consciousness  of  wrong  which  assails  us 
when  detected  in  any  covert  act,  however  laudable 
may  be  its  motive ; — a  sort  of  homage  that  nature, 
under  every  circumstance,  pays  to  loyal  dealings. 

Though  Ludlow  felt,  at  the  instant  of  this  inter 
ruption,  that  he  stood  in  jeopardy  of  his  life,  the  con 
cern  it  awakened  was  momentarily  lost  in  the  spec- 
.tacle  before  him.  The  bronzed  and  unearthly  features 
g>f  the  image  were  brightly  illuminated ;  and,  while 
2  E 


350 


THE    WATER-WITCH. 


her  eyes  looked  on  him  steadily,  as  if  watching  hi? 
smallest  movement,  her  malign  and  speaking  srnile 
appeared  to  turn  his  futile  effort  into  scorn !  There 
was  no  need  to  bid  the  seaman  at  the  oars  to  do  his 
duty.  No  sooner  did  he  catch  the  expression  of  that 
mysterious  face,  than  the  skiff  whirled  away  from 
the  spot,  like  a  sea-fowl  taking  wing  under  alarm 
Though  Ludlow,  at  each  moment,  expected  a  shot, 
even  the  imminence  of  the  danger  did  not  prevenl 
him  from  gazing,  in  absorbed  attention,  at  the  image. 
The  light  by  whichitwas illumined,  though  condensed, 
powerful,  and  steadily  cast,  wavered  a  little,  and 
exhibited  her  attire.  Then  the  captain  saw  the 
truth  of  what  Seadrift  had  asserted;  for,  by  some 
process  of  the  machine  into  which  he  had  not  leisure 
to  inquire,  the  sea-green  mantle  had  been  changed 
for  a  slighter  robe  of  the  azure  of  the  deep  waters. 
As  if  satisfied  with  having  betrayed  the  intention 
of  the  sorceress  to  depart,  the  light  immediately 
vanished. 

"This  mummery  is  well  maintained!"  muttered 
Ludlow,  when  the  skiff  had  reached  a  distance  that 
assured  him  of  safety.  "  Here  is  a  symptom  that  the 
rover  means  soon  to  quit  the  coast.  The  change  of 
dress  is  some  signal  to  his  superstitious  and  deluded 
crew.  It  is  my  task  to  disappoint  his  mistress,  as  he 
terms  her,  though  it  must  be  confessed  that  she  doe? 
not  sleep  at  her  post." 

During  the  ten  succeeding  minutes,  our  foiled  ad 
venturer  had  leisure,  no  less  than  motive,  to  feel  hov- 
necessary  is  success  to  any  project  whose  means  ad 
mit  of  dispute.  Had  the  hawser  been  cut  and  the 
bngantine  stranded,  it  is  probable  that  the  under 
taking  of  the  captain  would  have  been  accounted 
among  those  happy  expedients  which,  in  all  pursuits, 
are  thought  to  distinguish  the  mental  efforts  of  men 
particularly  gifted  by  Nature;  while,  under  the  ac 
tual  circumstances,  he  who  woukl  have  reaped  all 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  351 

the  credit  of  so  felicitous  an  idea,  was  mentally  chafing 
with  the  apprehension  that  his  unlucky  design  might 
become  known.  His  companion  was  no  other  than 
llohert  Yarn,  the  fore-top-man,  who,  on  a  former  oc 
casion,  had  been  heard  to  affirm,  that  he  had  already 
enjoyed  so  singular  a  view  of  the  lady  of  the  brig- 
antine,  while  assisting  to  furl  the  fore-top-sail  of  the 
Coquette. 

"  This  has  been  a  false  board,  Master  Yarn,"  ob 
served  the  captain,  when  the  skiff  was  past  the  en 
trance  of  the  Cove,  and  some  distance  down  the  bay ; 
"  for  the  credit  of  our  cruise,  we  will  not  enter  the 
occurrence  in  the  log.  You  understand  me,  Sir :  I 
trust  a  word  is  sufficient  for  so  shrewd  a  wit?" 

"  I  hope  I  know  my  duty,  your  Honor,  which  is  to 
obey  orders,  though  it  may  break  owners,"  returned 
the  top-man.  "  Cutting  a  hawser  with  a  knife  is  but 
slow  work  in  the  best  of  times ;  but  though  one  who 
has  little  right  to  speak  in  the  presence  of  a  gentle 
man  so  well  taught,  it  is  rny  opinion  that  the  steel  is 
not  vet  sharpened  which  is  to  part  any  rope  aboard 
yon  rover,  without  the  consent  of  the  black-looking 
woman  under  her  bowsprit." 

"And  what  is  the  opinion  of  the  berth-deck  con 
cerning  this  strange  brigantine,  that  we  have  so  long 
been  following  without  success?" 

"  That  we  shall  follow  her  till  the  last  biscuit  is 
eaten,  and  the  scuttle-butt  shall  be  dry,  with  no  bet 
ter  fortune.  It  is  not  my  business  to  teach  your 
Honor ;  but  there  is  not  a  man  in  the  ship,  who  ever 
expects  to  be  a  farthing  the  better  for  her  capture, 
Men  are  of  many  minds  concerning  the  « Skimmer 
of  the  Seas;'  but  all  are  agreed  that,  unless  aided 
by  some  uncommon  luck,  which  may  amount  to  the 
game  thing  as  being  helped  by  him  who  seldom  lends 
a  hand  to  any  honest  undertaking,  that  he  is  alto 
gether  such  a  seaman  as  another  like  him  does  not 
sail  the  ocean!" 


352 


THE    WATER-WITCH. 


"  1  am  sorry  that  my  people  should  have  reason  to 
think  so  meanly  of  our  own  skill.  The  ship  has  not 
yet  had  a  fair  chance.  Give  her  an  open  sea,  and  a 
cap-full  of  wind,  and  she  '11  defy  all  the  black  wo 
men  that  the  brigantine  can  stow.  As  to  your  'Skim 
mer  of  the  Seas,'  man  or  devil,  he  is  our  prisoner." 

"  And  does  your  Honor  believe  that  the  trim- built 
and  light-sailing  gentleman  we  overhauled  in  this  skiff; 
is  in  truth  that  renowned  rover  ?"  asked  Yarn,  resting 
on  his  sculls,  in  the  interest  of  the  moment.  «« There 
are-some  on  board  the  ship,  who  maintain  that  the 
man  in  question  is  taller  than  the  big  tide-waiter  at 
Plymouth,  with  a  pair  of  shoulders " 

"  I  have  reason  to  know  they  are  mistaken.  If  we 
are  more  enlightened  than  our  shipmates,  Master 
Yarn,  let  us  be  close-mouthed,  that  others  do  not  steal 
our  knowledge — hold, 'here  is  a  crown  with  the  face 
of  King  Louis ;  he  is  our  bitterest  enemy,  and  you 
may  swallow  him  whole,  if  you  please,  or  take  him 
in  morsels,  as  shall  best  suit  your  humor.  But  re 
member  that  our  cruise  in  the  skiff  is  under  secret 
orders,  and  the  less  we  say  about  the  anchor-watch 
of  the  brigantine,  the  better." 

Honest  Bob  took  the  piece  of  silver,  with  a  gusto 
that  no  opinions  of  the  marvellous  could  diminish ; 
and,  touching  his  hat,  he  did  not  fail  to  make  the 
usual  protestations  of  discretion.  That  night  the 
messmates  of  the  fore-top-man  endeavored,  in  vain, 
to  extract  from  him  the  particulars  of  his  excursion 
with  the  captain ;  though  the  direct  answers  to  their 
home  questions  were  only  evaded  by  allusions  so  dark 
and  ambiguous,  as  to  give  to  that  superstitious  feel- 
*ng  of  the  crew,  which  Ludlow  had  wished  to  lull, 
wice  its  original  force. 

Not  long  after  this  short  dialogue,  the  skiff  reached 
the  side  of  the  Coquette.  Her  commander  found  his 
prisoner  in  possession  of  his  own  cabin,  and,  though 
grave  if  not  sad  in  demeanor,  perfectly  self-possessed 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  353 

His  arrival  had  produced  a  deep  effect  on  the  offi 
cers  and  men,  though,  like  Yarn,  most  of  both  classes 
refused  to  believe  that  the  handsome  and  gayly-at- 
tired  youth  they  had  been  summoned  to  receive,  was 
the  notorious  dealer  in  contraband. 

Light  observers  of  the  forms  under  which  human 
qualities  are  exhibited,  too  often  mistake  their  out 
ward  signs.  Though  it  is  quite  in  reason  to  believe, 
that  he  who  mingles  much  in  rude  and  violent  scenes 
should  imbibe  some  of  their  rough  and  repelling  as 
pects,  still  it  would  seem  that,  as  the  stillest  waters 
commonly  conceal  the  deepest  currents,  so  the  powers 
to  awaken  extraordinary  events  are  not  unfrequent- 
ly  cloaked  under  a  chastened,  and  sometimes  under 
a  cold,  exterior.  It  has  often  happened,  that  the 
most  desperate  and  self-willed  men  are  those  whose 
mien  and  manners  would  give  reason  to  expect  the 
mildest  and  most  tractable  dispositions ;  while  he  who 
has  seemed  a  lion  sometimes  proves,  in  his  real  na 
ture,  to  be  little  better  than  a  lamb. 

Ludlow  had  reason  to  see  that  the  incredulity  of 
his  top-man  had  extended  to  most  on  board ;  and,  as 
he  could  not  conquer  his  tenderness  on  the  subject  of 
Alida  and  all  that  concerned  her,  while  on  the  other 
hand  there  existed  no  motive  for  immediately  declar 
ing  the  truth,  he  rather  favored  the  general  im 
pression  by  his  silence.  First  giving  some  orders  of 
the  last  importance  at  that  moment,  he  passed  into 
the  cabin,  and  sought  a  private  interview  with  his 
captive, 

"  That  vacant  state-room  is  at  your  service,  Mas 
ter  Scadrift,"  he  observed,  pointing  to  the  little 
apartment  opposite  to  the  one  he  occupied  himself. 
'  We  are  likely  to  be  shipmates  several  days,  unless 
you  choose  to  shorten  the  time,  by  entering  into  a  ca 
pitulation  for  the  Water- Witch  ;  in  which  case " 

"  You  had  a  proposition  to  make." 

Ludlow  hesitated,  cast  an  eye  behind  him,  to  be 
2E2 


354  THE  WATER-WITCH. 

certain  they  were  alone,  and  drew  nearer  to  his 
captive. 

"  Sir,  I  wi!l  deal  with  you  as  becomes  a  seaman. 
La  belle  Barberie  is  dearer  to  me  than  ever  woman 
was  before ; — dearer,  I  fear,  than  ever  woman  will 
be  again.  You  need  not  learn  that  circumstances 
nave  occurred, — Do  you  love  the  lady?" 

"  I  do." 

"  And  she — fear  not  to  trust  the  secret  to  one  who 
will  not  abuse  the  trust — returns  she  your  affection  V 

The  mariner  of  the  brigantine  drew  back  with 
dignity ;  and  then,  instantly  recovering  his  ease,  as  if 
fearful  he  might  forget  himself,  he  said  with  warmth, 

"This  trilling  with  woman's  weakness  is  the  be 
setting  sin  of  man !  None  may  speak  of  her  inclina 
tions,  Captain  Ludlow,  but  herself.  It  never  shall 
be  said,  that  any  of  the  sex  had  aught  but  fitting 
reverence  for  their  dependent  state,  their  constant 
and  confiding  love,  their  faithfulness  in  all  the  world's 
trials,  and  their  singleness  of  heart,  from  me." 

'*  These  sentiments  do  you  honor ;  and  I  could 
wish,  for  your  own  sake,  as  well  as  that  of  others, 
there  was  less  of  contrariety  in  your  character.  One 
cannot  but  grieve " 

"  You  had  a  proposition,  for  the  brigantine?" 

"  I  would  have  said,  that  were  the  vessel  yielded 
without  further  pursuit,  means  might  be  found  to 
soften  the  blow  to  those  who  will  otherwise  be  most 
wounded  by  her  capture." 

The  face  of  the  dealer  in  contraband  had  lost 
some  of  its  usual  brightness  and  animation  ;  the  color 
of  the  cheek  was  not  as  rich,  and  the  eye  was  less  at 
ease,  than  in  his  former  interviews  with  Ludlow 
But  a  smile  of  security  crossed  his  fine  features,  when 
the  other  spoke  of  the  fate  of  the  brigantine. 

"  The  keel  of  the  ship  that  is  to  capture  the  Water- 
Witch  is  not  yet  laid,"  he  said,  firmly ;  "  nor  is  the 
canvas  that  is  to  drive  her  through  the  water,  wove  1 


THE  WATER-WITCH.  355 

Our  mistress  is  not  so  heedless  as  to  sleep,  when  there 
is  most  occasion  for  her  services." 

"  This  mummery  of  a  supernatural  aid  may  be  of 
use  in  holding  the  mmds  of  the  ignorant  beings  who 
follow  your  fortunes,  in  subjection,  but  it  is  lost  when 
addressed  to  me.  I  have  ascertained  the  position  of 
the  brigantine — nay,  I  have  been  under  her  very 
bowsprit,  and  so  near  her  cut-water,  as  to  have  ex 
amined  her  moorings.  Measures  are  now  taking  to 
improve  my  knowledge,  and  to  secure  the  prize." 

The  free-trader  heard  him  without  exhibiting 
alarm,  though  he  listened  with  an  attention  that 
rendered  his  breathing  audible. 

"You  found  my  people  vigilant?"  he  rather  care 
lessly  observed,  than  asked. 

"  So  much  so,  that  I  have  said  the  skiff  was  pulled 
beneath  her  martingale,  without  a  hail !  Had  there 
been  means,  it  would  not  have  required  many  mo 
ments  to  cut  the  hawser  by  which  she  rides,  and  to 
have  laid  your  beauteous  vessel  ashore !" 

The  gleam  of  Seadrift's  eye  was  like  the  glance 
of  an  eagle.  It  seemed  to  inquire,  and  to  resent,  in 
the  same  instant.  Ludlow  shrunk  from  the  piercing 
look,  and  reddened  to  the  brow, — whether  with  his 
recollections,  or  not,  it  is  unnecessary  to  explain. 

"  The  worthy  device  was  thought  of! — nay,  it  was 
attempted  !"  exclaimed  the  other,  gathering  confirm 
ation  in  the  consciousness  of  his  companion. — "  You 
did  not — you  could  not  succeed  !" 

**  Our  success  will  be  proved  in  the  result." 

"  The  lady  of  the  brigantine  forgot  not  her  charge! 
You  saw  her  bright  eye — her  dark  and  meaning 
(ace  !.  Light  shone  on  that  mysterious  countenance — 
my  words  are  true,  Ludlow  ;  thy  tongue  is  silent,  but 
that  honest  countenance  confesses  all!" 

The  gay  dealer  in  contraband  turned  away,  and 
laughed  in  his  merriest  manner. 

"  I  knew  it  would  be  so,"  he  continued  j  "  what 


356  THE    WATER- WITCH 

is  the  ^absence  of  one  humble  actor  from  her  train  1 
Trust  me,  you  will  find  her  coy  as  ever,  and  ill-dis 
posed  to  hold  converse  with  a  cruiser  who  speaks 
so  rudely  through  his  cannon.  Ha ! — here  are  audi 
tors!" 

An  officer,  to  announce  the  near  approach  of  a 
boat,  entered.  Both  Ludlow  and  his  prisoner  started 
at  this  intelligence,  and  it  was  not  difficult  to  fancy 
both  believed  that  a  message  from  the  Water- Witch 
might  be  expected.  The  former  hastened  on  deck  ; 
while  the  latteiynotwithstanding  a  self-possession  that 
was  so  much  practised,  could  not  remain  entirely  at 
his  ease.  He  passed  into  the  state-room,  and  it  is 
more  than  probable  that  he  availed  himself  of  the 
window  of  its  quarter-gallery,  to  reconnoitre  those 
who  were  so  unexpectedly  coming  to  the  ship. 

But  after  the  usual  hail  and  reply,  Ludlow  no 
longer  anticipated  any  proposal  from  the  brigantine. 
The  answer  had  been  what  a  seaman  would  call 
'lubberly ;  or  it  wanted  that  attic  purity  that  men  of 
the  profession  rarely  fail  to  use  on  all  occasions,  and 
by  the  means  of  which  they  can  tell  a  pretender  to 
their  mysteries,  with  a  quickness  that  is  almost  in 
stinctive.  When  the  short,  quick  "boat-ahoy!"  of 
the  sentinel  on  the  gangway,  was  answered  by  the 
"what  do  you  want?"  of  a  startled  respondent  in 
the  boat,  it  was  received  among  the  crew  of  the 
Coquette  with  such  a  sneer  as  the  tyro,  who  has 
taken  two  steps  in  any  particular  branch  of  know 
ledge,  is  apt  to  bestow  on  the  blunders  of  him  who 
has  taken  but  one. 

A  deep  silence  reigned,  while  a  party  consisting 
of  two  men  and  as  many  females  mounted  the  fside 
of  the  ship,  leaving  a  sufficient  number  of  forms 
behind  them  in  the  boat  to  man  its  oars.  Notwith 
standing  more  than  one  light  was  held  in  such  a 
manner  as  would  have  discovered  the  faces  of  the 


•'"-.-  \         '•  '.•'•  -' 

THE    WATER-WITCH.  357 

gtrangers  had  they  not  all  been  closely  muffled,  the 
party  passed  into  the  cabin  without  recognition. 

"  Master  Cornelius  Ludlow,  one  might  as  well  put 
on  the  Queen's  livery  at  once,  as  to  be  steering  in 
this  uncertain  manner,  between  the  Coquette  and 
the  land,  like  a  protested  note  sent  from  endorser  to 
endorser,  to  be  paid,"  commenced  Alderman  Van 
Beverout,  uncasing  himself  in  the  great  cabin  with 
the  coolest  deliberation,  while  his  niece  sunk  into  a 
chair  unbidden,  her  two  attendants  standing  near  in 
submissive  silence.  "  Here  is  Alida,  who  has  insisted 
on  paying  so  unseasonable  a  visit,  and,  what  is  worse 
still,  on  dragging  me  in  her  train,  though  I  am  past 
the  day  of  following  a  woman  about,  merely  because 
she  happens  to  have  a  pretty  face.  The  hour  is  un 
seasonable,  and  as  to  the  motive — why,  if  Master 
Seadrift  has  got  a  little  out  of  his  course,  no  great 
harm  can  come  of  it,  while  the  affair  is  in  the  hands 
of  so  discreet  and  amiable  an  officer  as  yourself." 

The  Alderman  became  suddenly  mute ;  for  the 
door  of  the  state-room  opened,  and  the  individual  he 
had  named  entered  in  person. 

Ludlow  needed  no  other  explanation  than  a 
knowledge  of  the  persons  of  his  guests,  to  understand 
the  motive  of  their  visit.  Turning  to  Alderman  Van 
Beverout,  he  said,  with  a  bitterness  he  could  not 
repress — 

"  My  presence  may  be  intrusive.  Use  the  cabin 
as  freely  as  your  own  house,  and  rest  assured  that 
while  it  is  thus  honored,  it  shall  be  sacred  to  its 
present  uses.  My  duty  calls  me  to  the  deck." 

The  young  man  bowed  gravely,  and  hurried  from 
the  place.  As  he  passed  Alida,  he  caught  a  gleam 
of  her  dark  and  eloquent  eye,  and  he  construed  the 
glance  into  an  expression  of  gratitude. 


THE    WATER-WITCH 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

"  fit  were  done  when  'tis  done,  then  'twere  well 
It  ivere  done  quickly — " 

MACBETH. 

THE  words  of  the  immortal  poet,  with  which,  m 
deference  to  an  ancient  usage  in  the  literature  of  the 
language,  we  have  prefaced  the  incidents  to  be  re 
lated  in  this  chapter,  are  in  perfect  conformity  with 
that  governing  maxim  of  a  vessel,  which  is  common 
ly  found  embodied  in  its  standing  orders,  and  which 
prescribes  the  necessity  of  exertion  and  activity  in 
the  least  of  its  operations.  A  strongly-manned  shi-p, 
like  a  strong-armed  man,  is  fond  of  showing  its  phys 
ical  power,  for  it  is  one  of  the  principal  secrets* of 
its  efficiency.  In  a  profession  in  which  there  is  an 
unceasing  contest  with  the  wild  and  fickle  winds, 
and  in  which  human  efforts  are  to  be  manifested  in 
the  control  of  a  delicate  and  fearful  machinery  on 
an  inconstant  element,  this  governing  principle  be 
comes  of  the  last  importance.  Where  '  delay  may  so 
easily  be  death,'  it  soon  gets  to  be  a  word  that  is'ex- 
punged  from  the  language ;  and  there  is  perhaps  no 
truth  more  necessary  to  be  known  to'all  young  aspi 
rants  for  naval  success,  than  that,  while  nothing 
should  be  attempted  in  a  hurry,  nothing  should  be 
done  without  the  last  degree  of  activity  that  is  com 
patible  with  precision. 

The  commander  of  the  Coquette  had  early  been 
impressed  with  the  truth  of  .the  foregoing  rule,  and 
he  had  not  neglected  its  application  in  the  discipline 
f  his  crew.  When  he  reached  the  deck,  therefore, 
after  relinquishing  the  cabin  to  his  visiters,  he  found 
those  preparations  which  he  had  ordered  to  be  com 
menced  when  he  first  returned  to  the  ship,  already 
far  advanced  towards  their  execution.  As  these 


THE    WATER-WITCH. 

movements  are  closely  connected  with  the  future 
events  it  is  our  duty  to  explain,  we  shall  relate  them 
with  some  particularity. 

Ludlow  had  no  sooner  given  his  orders  to  the  offi 
cer  in  charge  of  the  deck,  than  the  whistle  of  the 
boatswain  was  heard  summoning  all  hands  to  their 
duty.  When  the  crew  had  been  collected,  tackles 
were  hooked  to  the  large  boats  stowed  in  the  centre 
of  the  ship,  and  the  whole  of  them  were  lowered 
into  the  water.  The  descent  of  those  suspended  on 
the  quarters,  was  of  course  less  difficult  and  much 
sooner  effected.  So  soon  as  all  the  boats,  with  the 
exception  of  one  at  the  stern,  were  out,  the  order 
was  given  to  *  cross  top-gallant-yards.'  This  duty  had 
been  commenced  while  other  things  were  in  the 
course  of  performance,  and  a  minute  had  scarcely 
passed  before  the  upper  masts  were  again  in  posses 
sion  of  their  light  sails.  Then  was  heard  the  usual 
summons  of,  « all  hands  up  anchor,  ahoy ! '  and  the 
rapid  orders  of  the  young  officers  to  '  man  capstan- 
bars,'  to  '  nipper,'  and  finally  to  '  heave  away.'  The 
business  of  getting  the  anchor  on  board  a  cruiser, 
and  on  board  a  ship  engaged  in  commerce,  is  of  very 
different  degrees  of  labor,  as  well  as  of  expedition. 
In  the  latter,  a  dozen  men  apply  their  powers  to  a 
slow-moving  and  reluctant  windlass,  while  the  un- 
tractable  cable,  as  it  enters,  is  broken  into  coils  by 
the  painful  efforts  of  a  grumbling  cook,  thwarted, 
perhaps,  as  much  as  he  is  aided  by  the  waywardness 
of  some  wilful  urchin  who  does  the  service  of  the 
cabin.  On  the  other  hand,  the  upright  and  con 
stantly-moving  capstan  knows  no  delay.  The  revolv 
ing  *  messenger'  is  ever  ready  to  be  applied,  and  skil 
ful  petty  officers  are  always  in  the  tiers,  to  dispose 
of  the  massive  rope,  that  it  may  not  encumber  the 
decks. 

Ludlow  appeared  among  his  people,  while  they 
were  thus  employed      Ere  he  had  made  one  hasty 


360  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

turn  or.  the  quarter-deck,  he  was  met  by  the 
first-lieutenant. 

"  We  are  short,  Sir,"  said  that  agent  of  all  work. 

"  Set  your  topsails." 

The  canvas  was  instantly  permitted  to  fall,  and  it 
was  no  sooner  stretched  to  the  yards,  than  force  was 
applied  to  the  halyards,  and  the  sails  were  hoisted. 

"Which  way,  Sir,  do  you  wish  the  ship  cast?" 
demanded  the  attentive  Luff. 

"  To  seaward." 

The  head-yards  were  accordingly  braced  aback 
in  the  proper  direction,  and  it  was  then  reported  to 
the  captain  that  all  was  ready  to  get  the  ship  under 
way. 

"  Trip  the  anchor  at  once,  Sir ;  when  it  is  stowed, 
and  the  decks  are  cleared,  report  to  rne." 

This  sententious  and  characteristic  communication 
between  Ludlow  and  his  second  in  command,  was 
sufficient  for  all  the  purposes  of  that  moment.  The 
one  was  accustomed  to  issue  his  orders  without  ex 
planation,  arid  the  other  never  hesitated  to  obey, 
and  rarely  presumed  to  inquire  into  their  motive. 

"  We  are  aweigh  and  stowed,  Sir ;  every  thing 
clear,"  said  Mr.  Luff,  after  a  few  minutes  had  been 
allowed  to  execute  the  preceding  commands. 

Ludlow  then  seemed  to  arouse  himself  from  a  deep 
reverie.  He  had  hitherto  spoken  mechanically, 
rather  than  as  one  conscious  of  what  he  uttered,  or 
whose  feelings  had  any  connexion  with  his  words. 
But  it  was  now  necessary  to  mingle  with  his  officers, 
and  to  issue  mandates  that,  as  they  were  less  in  rou 
tine,  required  both  thought  and"  discretion.  The 
crews  of  the  different  boats  were  '  called  away,'  and 
arms  were  placed  in  their  hands.  When  nearly  or 
quite  one-half  of  the  ship's  company  were  in  the 
boats,  and  the  latter  were  all  reported  to  be  ready 
officers  were  assigned  to  each,  and  the  particulai 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  361 

service  expected  at  their  hands  was  distinctly  ex 
plained. 

A  master's  mate  in  the  captain's  barge,  with  the 
crew  strengthened  by  half-a-dozen  marines,  was  or 
dered  to  pull  directly  for  the  Cove,  into  which  he 
was  to  enter  with  muffled  oars,  and  where  he  was  to 
await  a  signal  from  the  first-lieutenant,  unless  he  met 
the  brigantine  endeavoring  to  escape,  in  which  case 
his  orders  were  imperative  to  board  and  carry  her 
at  every  hazard.  The  high-spirited  youth  no  sooner 
received  this  charge,  than  he  quitted  the  ship  and 
steered  to  the  southward,  keeping  inside  the  tongue 
of  land  so  often  named. 

Luff  was  then  told  to  take  command  of  the  launch. 
With  this  heavy  and  strongly-manned  boat,  he  was 
ordered  to  proceed  to  the  inlet,  where  he  was  to 
give  the  signal  to  the  barge,  and  whence  he  was  to 
go  to  the  assistance  of  the  latter,  so  soon  as  he  was 
assured  the  Water- Witch  could  not  again  escape  by 
the  secret  passage. 

The  two  cutters  were  intrusted  to  the  command 
of  the  second- lieutenant,  with  orders  to  pull  into  the 
broad  passage  between  the  end  of  the  cape,  or  the 
'  Hook,'  and  that  long  narrow  island  which  stretches 
from  the  harbor  of  New- York  for  more  than  forty 
leagues  to  the  eastward,  sheltering  the  whole  coast 
of  Connecticut  from  the  tempests  of  the  ocean.  Lud- 
low  knew,  though  ships  of  a  hea^y  draught  were 
obliged  to  pass  close  to  the  cape,  in  ordf  to  gain  the 
open  sea,  that  a  light  brigantine,  like  the  Water- 
Witch,  could  find  a  sufficient  depth  of  wattr  for  her 
purposes  further  north.  The  cutters  were,  therefore, 
ent  in  that  direction,  with  orders  to  cover  as  *nuch 
of  the  channel  as  possible,  and  to  carry  the  smuggler 
should  an  occasion  offer.  Finally,  the  yawl  was  to 
occupy  the  space  between  the  two  channels,  with 
orders  to  repeat  signals,  and  to  be  vigilant  in  recon 
noitring. 

2P 


362  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

While  the  different  officers  intrusted  with  these 
duties  were  receiving  their  instructions,  the  ship, 
under  the  charge  of  Trysail,  began  to  move  towards 
the  cape.  When  off  the  point  of  the  Hook,  the  two 
cutters  and  the  yawl  'cast  off,'  and  took  to  their 
cars,  and  when  fairly  without  the  buoys,  the  launch 
did  the  same,  each  boat  taking  its  prescribed  direc 
lion. 

If  the  reader  retains  a  distinct  recollection  of  the 
scene  described  in  one  of  the  earlier  pages  of  this 
work,  he  will  understand  the  grounds  on  which  Lud- 
low  based  his  hopes  of  success.  By  sending  the  launch 
into  the  inlet,  he  believed  he  should  inclose  the  brig- 
antine  on  every  side ;  since  her  escape  through  either 
of  the  ordinary  channels  would  become  impossible, 
while  he  kept  the  Coquette  in  the  offing.  The  ser 
vice  he  expected  from  the  three  boats  sent  to  the 
northward,  was  to  trace  the  movement  of  the  smug 
gler,  and,  should  a  suitable  opportunity  offer,  to  at 
tempt  to  carry  him  by  surprise. 

When  the  launch  parted  from  the  ship,  the  Co 
quette  came  slowly  up  to  the  wind,  and  with  her  fore- 
topsail  thrown  to  the  mast,  she  lay,  waiting  to  allow 
her  boats  the  time  necessary  to  reach  their  several 
stations.  The  different  expeditions  had  reduced  the 
force  of  the  crew  quite  one-half,  and  as  both  the  lieu 
tenants  were  otherwise  employed,  there  now  re 
mained  on  board  no  officer  of  a  rank  between  those 
of  the  captain  and  Trysail.  Some  time  after  the  ves 
sel  had  been  stationary,  and  the  men  had  been  or 
dered  to  keep  close,  or,  in  other  words,  to  dispose  of 
their  persons  as  they  pleased,  with  a  view  to  permit 
them  to  catch  '  cat's  naps,'  as  some  compensation  for 
the  loss  of  their  regular  sleep,  the  latter  approached 
his  superior,  who  stood  gazing  over  the  hammock- 
cloths  in  the  direction  of  the  Cove,  and  spoke. 

•'  A  dark  night,  smooth  water,  and  fresh  hands 
make  boating  agreeable  duty  !"  he  said.  "  The  gen 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  363 

tlemen  are  in  fine  heart,  and  full  of  young  men's 
hopes ;  but  he  who  lays  that  brigantine  aboard,  will, 
in  my  poor  judgment,  have  more  work  to  do  than 
merely  getting  up  her  side.  I  was  in  the  foremost 
boat  that  boarded  a  Spaniard  in  the  Mona,  last  war; 
and  though  we  went  into  her  with  light  heels,  some 
of  us  were  brought  out  with  broken  heads. — I  think 
the  fore-top-gallant-mast  has  a  better  set,  Captain 
Ludlow,  since  we  gave  the  last  pull  at  the  rigging  ?" 

"  It  stands  well ;"  returned  his  half-attentive  com 
mander.  "  Give  it  the  other  drag,  if  you  think  best." 

"Just  as  you  please,  Sir;  'tis  all  one  tome.  I 
care  not  if  the  mast  is  hove  all  of  one  side,  like  the 
hat  on  the  head  of  a  country  buck  ;  but  when  a  thing 
is  as  it  ought  to  be,  reason  would  tell  us  to  let  it 
alone.  Mr.  Luff  was  of  opinion,  that  by  altering  the 
slings  of  the  main-yard,  we  should  give  a  better  set 
to  the  topsail  sheets ;  but  it  was  little  that  could  be 
done  with  the  stick  aloft,  and  I  am  ready  to  pay  Her 
Majesty  the  difference  between  the  wear  of  the 
sheets  as  they  stand  now,  and  as  Mr.  Luff  would 
have  them,  out  of  my  own  pocket,  though  it  is  often 
as  empty  as  a  parish  church  in  which  a  fox-hunting 
parson  preaches.  I  was  present,  once,  when  a  real 
tally-ho  was  reading  the  service,  and  one  of  your  god 
less  squires  got  in  the  wake  of  a  fox,  with  his  hounds, 
within  hail  of  the  church-windows  i  The  cries  had 
some  such  effect  on  my  roarer,  as  a  puff  of  wind  would 
have  on  this  ship;  that  is  to  say,  he  sprung  his  luff, 
and  though  he  kept  on  muttering  something  I  never 
knew  what,  his  eyes  were  in  the  fields  the  whole 
time  the  pack  was  in  view.  But  this  wasn't  the 
worst  of  it ;  for  when  he  got  fairly  back  to  his  work 
again,  the  wind  had  been  blowing  the  leaves  of  his 
book  about,  and  he  plumped  us  into  the  middle  01 
the  marriage  ceremony.  I  am  no  great  lawyer,  bu1 
there  were  those  who  said  it  was  a  god-send  that  hail 


364  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

the  young  men  in  the  parish  weren't  married  to  theii 
own  grandmothers!" 

"  I  hope  the  match  was  agreeable  to  the  family;  ' 
said  Ludlow,  relieving  one  elbow  by  resting  the 
weight  of  his  head  on  the  other. 

"  Why,  as  to  that,  I  will  not  take  upon  me  to  say 
ince  the  clerk  corrected  the  parson's  reckoning  be 
fore  the  mischief  was  entirely  done.  There  has  been 
a  little  dispute  between  me  and  the  first-lieutenant, 
Captain  Ludlow,  concerning  the  trim  of  the  ship. 
He  maintains  that  we  have  got  too  much  in  forward 
of  what  he  calls  the  centre  of  gravity ;  and  he  is  of 
opinion  that  had  we  been  less  by  the  head,  the  smug 
gler  would  never  have  had  the  heels  of  us,  in  the 
chase ;  whereas  I  invite  any  man  to  lay  a  craft  on 
her  water-line " 

"  Show  our  light !"  interrupted  Ludlow.  "  Yonder 
goes  the  signal  of  the  launch !" 

Trysail  ceased  speaking,  and,  stepping  on  a  gun, 
he  also  began  to  gaze  in  the  direction  of  the  Cove. 
A  lantern,  or  some  other  bright  object,  was  leisurely 
raised  three  times,  and  as  often  hid  from  view.  The 
signal  came  from  under  the  land,  and  in  a  quarter 
that  left  no  doubt  of  its  object. 

"So  far,  well;"  cried  the  Captain,  quitting  his 
stand,  and  turning,  for  the  first  time,  with  conscious 
ness,  to  his  officer.  "  'Tis  a  sign  that  they  are  at 
the  inlet,  and  that  the  offing  is  clear.  I  think,  Master 
Trysail,  we  are  now  sure  of  our  prize.  Sweep  the 
horizon  thoroughly  with  the  night-glass,  and  then 
we  will  close  upon  this  boasted  brigantine." 

Both  took  glasses,  and  devoted  several  minutes  to 
this  duty.  A  careful  examination  of  the  margin  of 
the  sea,  from  the  coast  of  New- Jersey  to  that  of 
Long-Island,  gave  them  reason  to  believe  that  no 
thing  of  any  size  was  lying  without  the  cape.  The, 
sky  was  more  free  from  clouds  to  the  eastward  than 
under  the  land  and  it  was  not  difficult  to  make  cer- 


THE    WATER- WITCH,  365 

tain  of  this  important  fact.  It  gave  them  the  assu 
rance  that  the  Water- Witch  had  not  escaped  by  the 
secret  passage,  during  the  time  lost  in  their  own 
preparations. 

"  This  is  still  well ;"  continued  Ludlow.  "  Now 
he  cannot  avoid  us — show  the  triangle." 

Three  lights,  disposed  in  the  form  just  named 
were  then  hoisted  at  the  gaff-end  of  the  Coquette. 
It  was  an  order  for  the  boats  in  the  Cove  to  proceed. 
The  signal  was  quickly  answered  from  the  launch, 
and  then  a  small  rocket  was  seen  sailing  over  the 
trees  and  shrubbery  of  the  shore.  All  on  board  the 
Coquette  listened  intently,  to  catch  some  sound  that 
should  denote  the  tumult  of  an  assault.  Once  Ludlow 
and  Trysail  thought  the  cheers  of  seamen  came  on 
the  thick  air  of  the  night ;  and  once,  again,  either 
fancy  or  their  senses  told  them  they  heard  the  menac 
ing  hail  which  commanded  the  outlaws  to  submit. 
Many  minutes  of  intense  anxiety  succeeded.  The 
whole  of  the  hammock-cloths  on  the  side  of  the  ship 
nearest  to  the  land  were  lined  with  curious  faces, 
though  respect  left  Ludlow  to  the  sole  occupation  of 
the  short  and  light  deck  which  covered  the  accom 
modations  ;  whither  he  had  ascended,  to  command  a 
more  perfect  view  of  the  horizon. 

"  'Tis  time  to  hear  their  musketry,  or  to  see  the 
signal  of  success!"  said  the  young  man  to  himself,  so 
intently  occupied  by  his  interest  in  the  undertaking, 
as  to  be  unconscious  of  having  spoken. 

"  Have  you  forgotten  to  provide  a  signal  for  fail- 
uie  ?"  said  one  at  his  elbow. 

"  Ha  !  Master  Seadrift ; — I  would  have  spared 
you  this  spectacle." 

"'Tis  one  too  often  witnessed,  to  be  singular.  A 
life  passed  on  the  ocean  has  not  left  me  ignorant  of 
the  effect  of  night,  with  a  view  seaward,  t»  dark 
coast,  and  a  back-ground  of  mountain  ! " 

"  You  have  confidence  in  him  left  in  chy'gr  of 
2F  2 


366  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

your  brigantine  !  I  shall  have  faith  in  your  sea-green 
lady,  myself,  if  he  escape  my  boats  this  time." 

"Hee! — there  is  a  token  of  her  fortune;"  return 
ed  the  other,  pointing  towards  three  lanterns  that 
were  shown  at  the  inlet's  mouth,  and  over  which 
many  lights  were  burnt  in  rapid  succession. 

"  'Tis  of  failure!  Let  the  ship  fall-of,  and  square 
away  the  yards !  Round  in,  men,  round  in.  We  will 
run  down  to  the  entrance  of  the  bay,  Mr.  Trysail. 
The  knaves  have  been  aided  by  their  lucky  star!" 

Ludlow  spoke  with  deep  vexation  in  his  tones,  but 
always  with  the  authority  of  a  superior  and  the 
promptitude  of  a  seaman.  The  motionless  being, 
near  him,  maintained  a  profound  silence.  No  excla 
mation  of  triumph  escaped  him,  nor  did  he  open  his 
lips  either  in  pleasure  or  in  surprise.  It  appeared  as 
if  confidence  in  his  vessel  rendered  him  as  much  su 
perior  to  exultation  as  to  apprehension. 

"  You  look  upon  this  exploit  of  your  brigantine, 
Master  Seadrift,  as  a  thing  of  course;"  Ludlow  ob 
served,  when  his  own  ship  was  steering  towards  the 
extremity  of  the  cape,  again.  "  Fortune  has  not 
deserted  you,  yet ;  but  with  the  land  on  three  sides, 
and  this  ship  and  her  boats  on  the  fourth,  I  do  not 
despair  yet  of  prevailing  over  your  bronzed  goddess!" 

"Our  mistress  never  sleeps;"  returned  the  dealer 
in  contraband,  drawing  a  long  breath,  like  one  who 
had  struggled  long  to  repress  his  interest. 

"  Terms  are  still  in  your  power.  I  shall  not  con 
ceal  that  the  Commissioners  of  Her  Majesty's  customs 
set  so  high  a  price  on  the  possession  of  the  Water- 
Witrh,  as  to  embolden  me  to  assume  a  responsibility 
from  which  I  might,  on  any  other  occasion,  shrink 
Deliver  the  vessel,  and  I  pledge  you  the  honor  of  an 
officer  that  the  crew  shall  land  without  question. — 
Leave  her  to  us,  with  empty  decks  and  a  swept 
hold,  if  you  will, — but,  leave  the  swift  boat  in  our 
hands.  * 


THE   WATER-WITCH.  367 

"The  lady  of  the  brigantine  thinks  otherwise 
She  wears  her  mantle  of  the  deep  waters,  and,  trust 
me,  spite  of  all  your  nets,  she  will  lead  her  followers 
beyond  the  offices  of  the  lead,  and  far  from  sound 
ings; — ay  !  spite  of  all  the  navy  of  Queen  Anne  !" 

"  I  hope  that  others  may  not  repent  this  obstinacy! 
But  this  is  no  time  to  bandy  words;  the  duty  of  the 
ship  requires  my  presence." 

Seadrift  took  the  hint,  and  reluctantly  retired  to 
the  cabin.  As  he  left  the  poop,  the  moon  rose  above 
the  line  of  water  in  the  eastern  board,  and  shed  its 
light  along  the  whole  horizon.  The  crew  of  the 
Coquette  were  now  enabled  to  see,  with  sufficient 
distinctness,  from  the  sands  of  the  Hook  to  the  dis 
tance  of  many  leagues  to  seaward.  There  no  lon 
ger  remained  a  doubt  that  the  brigantine  was  still 
within  the  bay.  Encouraged  by  this  certainty,  Lud- 
low  endeavored  to  forget  all  motives  of  personal 
feeling,  in  the  discharge  of  a  duty  that  was  getting 
to  be  more  and  more  interesting,  as  the  prospect  of 
its  successful  accomplishment  grew  brighter. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  Coquette  reached  the 
channel  which  forms  the  available  mouth  of  the 
estuary.  Here  the  ship  was  again  brought  to  the 
wind,  and  men  were  sent  upon  the  yards  and  all  her 
more  lofty  spars,  in  order  to  overlook,  by  the  dim 
and  deceitful  light,  as  much  of  the  inner  water  as 
the  eye  could  reach ;  while  Ludlow,  assisted  by  the 
master,  was  engaged  in  the  same  employment  on  the 
deck.  Two  or  three  midshipmen  were  included, 
among  the  common  herd,  aloft. 

"  There  is  nothing  visible  within,"  said  the  captain 
after  a  long  and  anxious  search,  with  a  glass.  "  The 
shadow  of  the  Jersey  mountains  prevents  the  sight 
in  that  direction,  while  the  spars  of  a  frigate  might 
be  confounded  with  the  trees  of  Staten  Island,  here., 
in  the  northern  board. — Cross-jack-^yard,  there ! " 


368  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

The  shrill  voi/:e  of  a  midshipman  answered  to  th« 
hail. 

"  What  do  you  make  within  the  Hook,  Sir?" 

"  Nothing  visible.    Our  barge  is  pulling  along  the 
land,  and  the  launch  appears  to  be  lying  off  the  in 
let ;  ay — here  is  the  yawl,  resting  on  its  oars  with 
out  the  Romar ;  but  we  can  find  nothing  which  look 
like  the  cutter,  in  the  range  of  Coney." 

<k  Take  another  sweep  of  the  glass  more  westward, 
and  look  well  into  the  mouth  of  the  Raritan, — mark 
you  any  thing  in  that  quarter?" 

"  Ha ! — here  is  a  speck  on  our  lee  quarter!" 

"What  do  you  make  of  it?" 

"  Unless  sight  deceives  me  greatly,  Sir.  there  is  &> 
light  boat  pulling  in  for  the  ship,  about  three  cables' 
length  distant." 

Ludlow  raised  his  own  glass,  and  swept  the  water 
iu  the  direction  named.  After  one  or  two  unsuccess 
ful  trials,  his  eye  caught  the  object ;  and  as  the  moon 
had  now  some  power,  he  was  at  no  loss  to  distinguish 
its  character.  There  was  evidently  a  boat,  and  one 
that,  by  its  movements,  had  a  design  of  holding  com 
munication  with  the  cruiser. 

The  eye  of  a  seaman  is  acute  on  his  element,  and 
his  mind  is  quick  in  forming  opinions  on  all  things 
that  properly  appertain  to  his  profession.  Ludlow 
saw  instantly,  by  the  construction,  that  the  boat  was 
not  one  of  those  sent  from  the  ship ;  that  it  approach 
ed  in  a  direction  which  enabled  it  to  avoid  the  Co 
quette,  by  keeping  in  a  part  of  the  hay  where  the 
water  was  not  sufficiently  deep  to  admit  of  her  pas 
sage  ;  and  that  its  movements  were  so  guarded  as  to 
denote  great  caution,  while  there  was  an  eviden 
wish  to  draw  as  near  to  the  cruiser  as  prudence  migh 
render  advisable.  Taking  a  trumpet,  he  hailed  ia 
the  well-known  and  customary  manner. 

The  answer  came  up  faintly  against  the  air,  bu* 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  369 

it  was  uttered  with  much  practice  in  the  implement, 
and  with  an.  exceeding  compass  of  voice. 

"  Ay,  ay  !"  and,  "  a  parley  from  the  brigantine  i" 
were  the  only  words  that  were  distinctly  audible. 

For  a  minute  or  two,  the  young  man  paced  the 
deck  in  silence.  Then  he  suddenly  commanded  the 
nly  boat  which  the  cruiser  now  possessed,  to  be  low- 
red  and  manned. 

"  Throw  an  ensign  into  the  stern-sheets,"  he  said, 
when  these  orders  were  executed ;  "  and  let  there  be 
arms  beneath  it.  We  will  keep  faith  while  faith  is 
observed,  but  there  are  reasons  for  caution  in  this 
interview." 

Trysail  was  directed  to  keep  the  ship  stationary, 
and  after  giving  to  his  subordinate  private  instruc 
tions  of  importance  in  the  event  of  treachery,  Lud- 
low  went  into  the  boat  in  person.  A  very  few  min 
utes  sufficed  to  bring  the  jolly-boat  and  the  stranger 
so  near  each  other,  that  the  means  of  communica 
tion  were  both  easy  and  sure.  The  men  of  the  for 
mer  were  then  commanded  to  cease  rowing,  and, 
raising  his  glass,  the  commander  of  the  cruiser  took 
a  more  certain  and  minute  survey  of  those  who 
awaited  his  coming.  The  strange  boat  was  dancing 
on  the  waves,  like  a  light  shell  that  floated  so  buoy 
antly  as  scarce  to  touch  the  element  which  sustained 
it,  while  four  athletic  seamen  leaned  on  the  oars 
which  lay  ready  to  urge  it  ahead.  In  the  stern- 
sheets  stood  a  form,  whose  attitude  and  mien  could 
not  readily  be  mistaken.  In  the  admirable  steadi 
ness  of  the  figure,  the  folded  arms,  the  fine  and 
manly  proportions,  and  the  attire,  Ludlow  recognized 
the  mariner  of  the  India-shawl.  A  wave  of  the 
hand  induced  him  to  venture  nearer. 

"  What  is  asked  of  the  royal  cruiser?"  demanded 
the  captain  of  the  vessel  named,  when  the  two  boats 
were  as  near  each  other  as  seemed  expedient. 

"Confidence!" was  the  calm  reply. — "Come  nearer 


370  THE   WATER-WITCH. 

Captain  Lidlow ;  I  am  here  with  naked  hands !  Our 
conference  need  not  be  maintained  with  trumpets." 

Ashamed  that  a  boat  belonging  to  a  ship  of  war 
should  betray  doubts,  the  people  of  the  yawl  were 
ordered  to  go  within  reach  of  the  oars. 

"  Well,  Sir,  you  have  your  wish.  I  have  quitted 
my  ship,  and  come  to  the  parley,  with  the  smallest 
of  my  boats." 

"  It  is  unnecessary  to  say  what  has  been  done  with 
(he  others!"  returned  Tiller,  across  the  firm  muscles 
of  whose  face  there  passed  a  smile  that  was  scarcely 
perceptible.  "  You  hunt  us  hard,  Sir,  and  give  but 
little  rest  to  the  brigantine.  But  again  are  you 
foiled!" 

"  We  have  a  harbinger  of  better  fortune,  in  a 
lucky  blow  that  has  been  struck  to-night." 

"  You  are  understood,  Sir ;  Master  Seadrift  has 
fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  Queen's  servants — but 
take  good  heed  !  if  injury,  in  word  or  deed,  befall 
that  youth,  there  live  those  who  well  know  how  to 
resent  the  wrong!" 

"  These  are  lofty  expressions,  to  come  from  a  pro 
scribed  man ;  but  we  will  overlook  them,  in  the  mo 
tive.  Your  brigantine,  Master  Tiller,  lost  its  master » 
spirit  in  the  *  Skimmer  of  the  Seas,'  and  it  may  be 
wise  to  listen  to  the  suggestions  of  moderation.  If 
you  are  disposed  to  treat,  I  am  here  with  no  disposi 
tion  to  extort." 

"  We  meet  in  a  suitable  spirit,  then ;  for  I  come 
prepared  to  offer  terms  of  ransom,  that  Queen  Anne, 
if  she  love  her  revenue,  need  not  despise ; — but,  as 
in  duty  to  Her  Majesty,  I  will  first  listen  to  her  royal 
pleasure." 

"  First,  then,  as  a  seaman,  and  one  who  is  not  ig 
norant  of  what  a  vessel  can  perform,  let  me  direct 
your  attention  to  the  situation  of  the  parties.  I  am 
certain  that  the  Water- Witch,  though  for  the  mo 
ment  concealed  by  the  shadows  of  the  hills,  or  fa 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  371 

V  red  perhaps  by  distance  and  the  feebleness  of  this 
lit.ht,  is  in  the  waters  of  the  bay.  A  force,  against 
which  she  has  no  power  of  resistance,  watches  the 
inlet ;  you  see  the  cruiser  in  readiness  to  meet  her 
>ff  the  Hook.  My  boats  are  so  stationed  as  to  pre 
lude  the  possibility  of  escape,  without  sufficient  no 
tice,  by  the  northern  channel ;  and,  in  short,  the  out 
lets  are  all  closed  to  your  passage.  With  the  morning 
light,  we  shall  know  your  position,  and  act  accord- 
ingiy." 

"No  chart  can  show  the  dangers  of  rocks  and 
shoals  more  clearly! — and  to  avoid  these  dangers ?" 

"  Yi«;ld  the  brigantine,  and  depart.  Though  out 
lawed,  we  shall  content  ourselves  with  the  possession 
of  the  remarkable  vessel  in  which  you  do  your  mis 
chief,  and  hope  that,  deprived  of  the  means  to  err, 
you  will  return  to  better  courses." 

"  With  the  prayers  of  the  church  for  our  amend 
ment  !  Now  listen,  Captain  Ludlow,  to  what  I  offer. 
You  have  the  person  of  one  much  loved  by  all  who 
follow  the  lady  of  the  sea-green  mantle,  in  your 
power ;  and  we  have  a  brigantine  that  does  much 
injury  to  Queen  Anne's  supremacy  in  the  waters  of 
this  hemisphere ; — yield  you  the  captive,  and  we 
promise  to  quit  this  coast,  never  to  return." 

"  This  were  a  worthy  treaty,  truly,  for  one  whose 
habitation  is  not  a  mad-house  !  Relinquish  my  right 
over  the  principal  doer  of  the  evil,  and  receive  the 
unsupported  pledge  of  a  subordinate's  word  !  Your 
happy  fortune,  Master  Tiller,  has  troubled  your  rea 
son.  What  I  offer,  was  offered  because  I  would  not 
drive  an  unfortunate  and  remarkable  man,  like  him 
we  have,  to  extremities,  and — there  may  be  other 
motives,  but  do  not  mistake  my  lenity.  Should  force 
become  necessary  to  put  your  vessel  into  our  hands,, 
the  law  may  view  your  offer  ces  with  a  still  harsher 
eye.  Deeds  which  the  lenity  of  our  system  now  con 
siders  as  venial,  may  easily  turn  to  crime !" 


372  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

"  I  ought  not  to  take  your  distrust,  as  otner  than 
excusable,"  returned  the  smuggler,  evidently  sup 
pressing  a  feeling  of  haughty  and  wounded  pride. 
"  The  word  of  a  free-trader  should  have  little  weight 
in  the  ears  of  a  queen's  officer  We  have  been  train 
ed  in  different  schools,  and  me  same  objects  are  seen 
in  different  colors.  Your  proposal  has  been  heard, 
and,  with  some  thanks  for  its  fair  intentions,  it  is  re 
fused  without  a  hope  of  acceptation.  Our  brigantine 
is,  as  you  rightly  think,  a  remarkable  vessel !  Her 
equal,  Sir,  for  beauty  or  speed,  floats  not  the  ocean. 
By  heaven !  I  would  sooner  slight  the  smiles  of  the 
fairest  woman  that  walks  the  earth,  than  entertain 
a  thought  which  should  betray  the  interest  I  feel  in 
that  jewel  of  naval  skill !  You  have  seen  her,  at 
many  times,  Captain  Ludlow — in  squalls  and  calms  ; 
with  her  wings  abroad,  and  her  pinions  shut ;  by  day 
and  night;  near  and  far;  fair  and  foul; — and  I  ask 
you,  with  a  seaman's  frankness,  is  she  not  a  toy  to 
fill  a  seaman's  heart  ?" 

"  I  deny  not  the  vessel's  merits,  nor  her  beauty — 
'tis  a  pity  she  bears  no  better  reputation." 

"  I  knew  you  could  not  withhold  this  praise  !  But 
I  grow  childish  when  there  is  question  of  that  brig 
antine  !  Well  Sir,  each  has  been  heard,  and  now 
comes  the  conclusion.  I  part  with  the  apple  of  my 
eye,  ere  a  stick  of  that  lovely  fabric  is  willingly  de 
serted.  Shall  we  make  other  ransom  for  the  youth  ? 
— What  think  you  of  a  pledge  in  gold,  to  be  forfeited 
should  we  forget  our  word."' 

"  You  ask  impossibilities.  In  treating  thus  at  all, 
I  quit  the  path  of  proud  authority,  because,  as  has 
been  said,  there  is  that  about  the  *  Skimmer  of  the 
Seas"  that  raises  him  above  the  coarse  herd  who  in 
common  traffic  against  the  law.  The  brigantine,  or 
nothing ! " 

"  My  life,  before  that  brigantine !  Sir,  you  forget 
our  fortunes  are  protected  by  one  who  laughs  at  th<- 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  373 

efforts  of  your  fleer.  You  think  that  we  are  inclosed 
and  that,  when  light  shall  return,  there  will  remain 
merely  the  easy  task  to  place  your  iron-mounted 
cruiser  on  our  beam,  and  drive  us  to  seek  mercy. 
Here  are  honest  mariners,  who  could  tell  you  of  the 
hopelessness  of  the  expedient.  The  Water- Witch 
oas  run  the  gauntlet  of  all  your  navies,  and  shot  has 
never  yet  defaced  her  beauty." 

"  And  yet  her  limbs  have  been  known  to  fall  be 
fore  a  messenger  from  my  ship  !" 

'•The  stick  wanted  the  commission  of  our  mistress," 
interrupted  the  other,  glancing  his  eye  at  the  credu 
lous  and  attentive  crew  of  the  boat.  "  In  a  thought 
less  moment,  'twas  taken  up  at  sea,  and  fashioned  to 
our  purpose  without  counsel  from  the  book.  Nothing 
that  touches  our  decks,  under  fitting  advice,  comes 
to  harm. — You  look  incredulous,  and  'tis  in  character 
to  seem  so.  If  you  refuse  to  listen  to  the  lady  of  the 
brigantine,  at  least  lend  an  ear  to  your  own  laws.  Of 
what  offence  can  you  charge  Master  Seadrift,  that 
you  hold  him  captive?" 

"  His  redoubted  name  of  '  Skimmer  of  the  Seas' 
were  warranty  to  force  him  from  a  sanctuary,"  re 
turned  Ludlow,  smiling.  "  Though  proof  should  fail 
of  any  immediate  crime,  there  is  impunity  for  the 
arrest,  since  the  law  refuses  to  protect  him." 

"  This  is  your  boasted  justice  !  Rogues  in  authority 
combine  to  condemn  an  absent  and  a  silent  man. 
But  if  you  think  to  do  your  violence  with  impunity, 
know  there  are  those  who  take  deep  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  that  youth." 

**  This  is  foolish  bandying  of  menaces,"  said  the 
captain,  warmly.  "  If  you  accept  my  offers,  speak ; 
and  if  you  reject  them,  abide  the  consequences." 

"  I  abide  the  consequences.    But  since  we  cannot 

come  to  terms,  as  victor  and  the  submitting  party, 

we  may  part  in  amity.    Touch  my  hand,  Captain 

Ludlow,  as  one  brave  man  should  salute  another, 

2G 


374  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

though  the  next  minute  they  are  to  grapple  at  the 
throat." 

Ludlow  hesitated.  The  proposal  was  made  with 
so  frank  and  manly  a  mien,  and  the  air  of  the  free 
trader,  as  he  leaned  beyond  the  gunwale  of  his  boat, 
was  so  superior  to  his  pursuit,  that,  unwilling  to  seem 
churlish,  or  to  be  outdone  in  courtesy,  he  reluctantly 
consented,  and  laid  his  palm  within  that  the  other 
offered.  The  smuggler  profited  by  the  junction  to 
draw  the  boats  nearer,  and,  to  the  amazement  of  all 
who  witnessed  the  action,  he  stepped  boldly  into  the 
yawl,  and  was  seated,  face  to  face,  with  its  officer 
in  a  moment. 

"  These  are  matters  that  are  not  fit  for  every  ear," 
said  the  decided  and  confident  mariner,  in  an  under 
tone,  when  he  had  made  this  sudden  change  in  the 
position  of  the  parties.  "  Deal  with  me  frankly,  Cap 
tain  Ludlow : — is  your  prisoner  left  to  brood  on  his 
melancholy,  or  does  he  feel  the  consolation  of  know 
ing  that  others  take  an  interest  in  his  welfare?" 

"  He  does  not  want  for  sympathy,  Master  Tiller 
— since  he  has  the  pity  of  the  finest  woman  in 
America." 

"  Ha !  la  belle  Barberie  owns  her  esteem ! — is  the 
conjecture  right?" 

"  Unhappily,  you  are  too  near  the  truth.  The  in 
fatuated  girl  seems  but  to  live  in  his  presence.  She 
has  so  far  forgotten  the  opinions  of  others,  as  to  follow 
him  to  my  ship  ! " 

Tiller  listened  intently,  and,  from  that  instant,  all 
concern  disappeared  from  his  countenance. 

"  He  who  is  thus  favored  may,  for  a  moment,  even 
forget  the  brigantine ! "  he  exclaimed,  with  all  his 
natural  recklessness  of  air.  "And  the  Alderman ?" 

"  Has  more  discretion  than  his  niece,  since  he  did 
not  permit  her  to  come  alone." 

"  Enough. — Captain  Ludlow,  let  what  will  follow, 
we  part  as  friends.  Fear  not,  Sir.  to  touch  the  hand 


THE   WATER-WITCH.  375 

of  a  proscribed  man,  again ;  it  is  honest  after  its  own 
fashion,  and  many  is  the  peer  and  prince  who  keeps 
not  so  clean  a  palm.  Deal  tenderly  with  that  gay  and 
fash  young  sailor;  he  wants  the  discretion  of  an 
older  head,  but  the  heart  is  kindness  itself — I  would 
hazard  life,  to  shelter  his — but  at  every  hazard  the 
brigantine  must  be  saved. — Adieu!" 

There  was  strong  emotion  in  the  voice  of  the 
mariner  of  the  shawl,  notwithstanding  his  high  bear 
ing.  Squeezing  the  hand  of  Ludlow,  he  passed  back 
into  his  own  barge,  with  the  ease  and  steadiness  of 
one  who  made  the  ocean  his  home. 

"  Adieu !"  he  repeated,  signing  to  his  men  to  pul 
in  the  direction  of  the  shoals,  where  it  was  certain 
the  ship  could  not  follow.  "  We  may  meet  again  • 
antil  then,  adieu." 

"  We  are  sure  to  meet,  with  the  return  of  light." 

"  Believe  it  not,  brave  gentleman.  Our  lady  will 
thrust  the  spars  under  her  girdle,  and  pass  a  fleet  un 
seen. — A  sailor's  blessing  on  you — fair  winds  and  a 
plenty ;  a  safe  landfall,  and  a  cheerful  home !  Deal 
kindly  by  the  boy,  and,  in  all  but  evil  wishes  to  my 
vessel,  success  light  on  your  ensign !" 

The  seamen  of  both  boats  dashed  their  oars  into 
the  water  at  the  same  instant,  and  the  two  parties 
were  quickly  without  the  hearing  of  the  voice. 


376  THE   WATER-WITCH. 


CHAPTER  XXYII. 

"—Did  I  tell  thit, 
Who  would  believe  me  ?" 

MEASURE  FOR  MEASORZ. 

THE  time  of  the  interview  related  in  the  close  of 
the  preceding  chapter,  was  in  the  early  watches  ol 
the  night.  It  now  becomes  our  duty  to  transport  the 
reader  to  another,  that  had  place  several  hours  later, 
and  after  day  had  dawned  on  the  industrious  burgh- 
fTS  of  Manhattan. 

There  stood,  near  one  of  the  wooden  wharves 
which  lined  the  arm  of  the  sea  on  which  the  city  is 
so  happily  placed,  a  dwelling  around  which  there 
was  every  sign  that  its  owner  was  engaged  in  a  retail 
commerce,  that  was  active  and  thriving,  for  that  age 
and  country.  Notwithstanding  the  earliness  of  the 
hour,  the  windows  of  this  house  were  open ;  and  an 
individual,  of  a  busy-looking  face,  thrust  his  head  so 
often  from  one  of  the  casements,  as  to  show  that  he 
already  expected  the  appearance  of  a  second  party 
in  the  affair  that  had  probably  called  him  from 
his  bed,  even  sooner  than  common.  A  tremendoua 
rap  at  the  door  relieved  his  visible  uneasiness ;  and, 
hastening  to  open  it,  he  received  his  visiter,  with 
much  parade  of  ceremony,  and  many  protestations 
of  respect,  in  person. 

"  This  is  an  honor,  my  lord,  that  does  not  often 
befall  men  of  my  humble  condition,"  said  the  master 
of  the  house,  in  the  flippant  utterance  of  a  vulgar 
cockney;  "but  I  thought  it  would  be  more  agreea 
ble  to  your  lordship,  to  receive  the  a — a — here,  than 
in  the  place  where  your  lordship,  just  at  this  mo 
ment,  resides.  Will  your  lordship  please  to  rest 
yourself,  after  your  lordship's  walk?" 

'  I  thank  you,  Carnaby,"  returned  the  other,  tak- 


THE   WATER-WITCH.  377 

ing  the  offered  seat,  with  an  air  of  easy  superiority. 
"  You  judge  with  your  usual  discretion,  as  respects 
the  place,  though  I  doubt  the  prudence  of  seeing  him 
at  all.  Has  the  man  come7" 

"Doubtless,  my  lord ;  he  would  hardly  presume  to 
keep  your  lordship  waiting,  and  much  less  would  I 
countenance  him  in  so  gross  a  disrespect.  He  will 
be  most  happy  to  wait  on  you,  my  lord,  whenever 
your  lordship  shall  please." 

"  Let  him  wait :  there  is  no  necessity  for  haste.  He 
has  probably  communicated  some  of  the  objects  of 
this  extraordinary  call  on  my  time,  Carnaby ;  and 
you  can  break  them,  in  the  intervening  moments." 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say,  my  lord,  that  the  fellow  is  as 
obstinate  as  a  mule.  I  felt  the  impropriety  of  inti  o- 
d"cing  him,  personally,  to  your  lordship ;  but  as  he 
insisted  he  had  affairs  that  would  deeply  interest  you, 
my  lord,  I  could  not  take  upon  me  to  say,  what 
would  be  agreeable  to  your  lordship,  or  what  not ; 
and  so  I  was  bold  enough  to  write  the  note." 

"And  a  very  properly  expressed  note  it  was, 
Master  Carnaby.  I  have  not  received  a  better 
worded  communication,  since  my  arrival  in  this  col 
ony." 

"  I  am  sure  the  approbation  of  your  lordship  might 
justly  make  any  man  proud  !  It  is  the  ambition  of  my 
life,  my  lord,  to.do  the  duties  of  my  station  in  a  prop 
er  manner,  and  to  treat  all  above  me  with  a  suita 
ble  respect,  my  lord,  and  all  below  me  as  in  reason 
bound.  If  I  might  presume  to  think  in  such  a  mat 
ter,  my  lord,  I  should  say,  that  these  colonists  are  no 
great  judges  of  propriety,  in  their  correspondence,  or 
indeed  in  any  thing  else'." 

The  noble  visiter  shrugged  his  shoulder,  and  threw 
an  expression  into  his  look,  that  encouraged  the  re 
tailer  to  proceed. 

"  It  is  just  what  I  think  myself,  my  lord,"  he  con 
tinued,  simpering ;  "  but  then,"  he  added*  with  a  con 
*  2G2 


378  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

doling  and  patronizing  air,  "  how  should  they  know 
any  better?  England  is  but  an  island,  after  all;  and 
the  whole  world  cannot  be  born  and  educated  on 
the  same  bit  of  earth." 

"  'Twould  be  inconvenient,  Carnaby,  if  it  led  to  no 
other  unpleasant  consequence." 

"  Almost,  word  for  word,  what  I  said  to  Mrs.  Car 
naby  myself,  no  later  than  yesterday,  my  lord,  only 
vastly  better  expressed.  'Twould  be  inconvenient, 
said  I,  Mrs.  Carnaby,  to  take  in  the  other  lodger,  for 
every  body  cannot  live  in  the  same  house;  which 
covers,  as  it  were,  the  ground  taken  in  your  lord 
ship's  sentiment.  I  ought  to  add,  in  behalf  of  the 
poor  woman,  that  she  expressed,  on  the  same  occa 
sion,  strong  regrets  that  it  is  reported  your  lordship 
will  be  likely  to  quit  us  soon,  on  your  return  to  old 
England." 

"  That  is  really  a  subject  on  which  there  is  more 
cause  to  rejoice  than  to  weep.  This  imprisoning,  or 
placing  within  limits,  so  near  a  relative  of  the  crown, 
is  an  affair  that  must  have  unpleasant  consequences, 
and  which  offends  sadly  against  all  propriety." 

"  It  is  awful,  my  lord  !  If  it  be  not  sacrilegs  by  the 
law,  the  greater  the  shame  of  the  opposition  in  Par 
liament,  who  defeat  so  many  other  wholesome  regu 
lations,  intended  for  the  good  of  the  subject." 

•'  Faith,  I  am  not  sure  I  may  not  be  driven  to  join 
them  myself,  bad  as  they  are,  Carnaby;  for  this 'ne 
glect  of  ministers,  not  to  call  it  by  a  worse  name, 
might  goad  a  man  to  even  a  more  heinous  measure.' 

"  I  am  sure  nobody  could  blame  your  lordship, 
were  your  lordship  to  join  any  body,  or  any  thing, 
but  the  French  !  I  have  often  told  Mrs.  Carnaby  a* 
much  as  that,  in  our  frequent  conversations  concern 
ing  the  unpleasant  situation  in  which  your  lordsh.f 
is  just  now  placed." 

"  I  had  not  thought  the  awkward  transaction  at 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  379 

tracted  so  much  notice,"  observed  the  other,  evi 
dently  wincing  under  the  allusion. 

"  It  attracts  it  only  in  a  proper  and  respectful  way, 
my  lord.  Neither  Mrs.  Carnaby,  nor  myself,  ever 
indulges  in  any  of  these  remarks,  but  in  the  mosA 
proper  and  truly  Engi>h  manner." 

"  The  reservation  migtu  ^alliate  a  greater  error 
That  word  proper  is  a  prudent  term,  and  expresses 
all  one  could  wish.  I  had  not  thought  you  so  intel 
ligent  and  shrewd  a  man,  Master  Carnaby :  clever  in 
the  way  of  business,  I  always  knew  you  to  be ;  but  so 
apt  in  reason,  and  so  matured  in  principle,  is  what  I 
will  confess  I  had  not  expected.  Can  you  form  no 
conjecture  of  the  business  of  this  man  1 " 

"  Not  in  the  least,  my  lord.  I  pressed  the  impro 
priety  of  a  personal  interview ;  for,  though  he  alluded 
to  some  business  or  other,  I  scarcely  know  what, 
with  which  he  appeared  to  think  your  lordship  had 
some  connexion,  I  did  not  understand  him,  and  we 
had  like  to  have  parted  without  an  explanation." 

"  I  will  not  see  the  fellow." 

"  Just  as  your  lordship  pleases — I  am  sure  that, 
after  so  many  little  affairs  have  passed  through  my 
hands,  I  might  be  safely  trusted  with  this ;  and  I  said 
as  much, — but  as  he  positively  refused  to  make  me 
an  agent,  and  he  insisted  that  it  was  so  much  to  your 
lordship's  interests — why,  I  thought,  my  lord,  that 
perhaps — just  now " 

"  Show  him  in." 


Carnaby  bowed  low  and  submissively,  and  after 
busying  himself  in  placing  the  chairs  aside,  and  ad 
justing  the  table  more  conveniently  for  the  elbow  ot 
his  guest,  he  left  the  room. 

"  Where  is  the  man  I  bid  you  keep  in  the  shop '( " 
demanded  the  retailer,  in  a  coarse,  authoritative 
voice,  when  without ;  addressing  a  meek  and  humble- 
looking  lad,  who  did  the  duty  of  clerk.  "  I  warrant 
me,  he  is  left  in  the  kitchen,  and  you  have  been 


380  THE   WATER-WITCH. 

idling  about  on  the  walk!  A  more  heedless  and 
matter  live  lad  than  yourself  is  not  to  be  -found  in 
America,  and  the  sun  never  rises  but  I  repent  having 
signed  your  indentures.  You  shall  pay  for  this, 
you " 

The  appearance  of  the  person  he  sought,  cut  short 
the  denunciations  of  the  ./osequious  grocer  and  the 
domestic  tyrant.  He  opened  the  door,  and,  having 
again  closed  it,  left  his  two  visiters  together. 

Though  the  degenerate  descendant  of  the  great 
Clarendon  had  not  hesitated  to  lend  his  office  to 
cloak  the  irregular  and  unlawful  trade  that  was  then 
so  prevalent  in  the  American  seas,  he  had  paid  the 
sickly  but  customary  deference  to  virtue,  of  refusing, 
on  all  occasions,  to  treat  personally  with  its  agents. 
Sheltered  behind  his  official  and  personal  rank,  he 
had  soothed  his  feelings,  by  tacitly  believing  that  cu 
pidity  is  less  venal  when  its  avenues  are  hidden,  and 
that  in  protecting  his  station  from  an  immediate 
contact  with  its  ministers,  he  had  discharged  an  im 
portant,  and,  for  one  in  his  situation,  an  imperative, 
duty.  Unequal  to  the  exercise  of  virtue  itself,  he 
thought  he  had  done  enough  in  preserving  some  of 
its  seemliness.  Though  far  from  paying  even  this 
slight  homage  to  decency,  in  his  more  ordinary 
habits,  his  pride  of  rank  had,  on  the  subject  of  so 
coarse  a  failing,  induced  him  to  maintain  an  appear 
ance  which  his  pride  of  character  would  not  have 
suggested.  Carnaby  was  much  the  most  degraded 
and  the  lowest  of  those  with  whom  he  ever  conde 
scended  to  communicate  directly;  and  even  with 
him  there  might  have  been  some  scruple,  had  not  his 
necessities  caused  him  to  stoop  so  far  as  to  accept 
pecuniary  assistance  from  one  he  both  despised  and 
detected. 

When  the  door  opened,  therefore,  the  lord  Corn- 
bury  rose,  and,  determined  to  bring  the  interview  to 
a  speedy  issue,  he  turned  to  face  the  individual  wh* 


THE   WATER- WITCH.  381 

entered,  with  a  mien,  into  which  he  threw  all  the 
distance  and  hauteur  that  he  thought  necessary  for 
such  an  object.  But  he  encountered,  in  the  mariner 
of  the  India-shawl,  a  very  different  man  from  the 
flattering  and  obsequious  grocer  who  had  just  quitted 
him.  Eye  met  eye ;  his  gaze  of  authority  receiving 
a  look  as  steady,  if  not  as  curious,  as  his  own.  It  was 
evident,  by  the  composure  of  the  fine  manly  frame 
he  saw,  that  its  owner  rested  his  claims  on  the  aristoc 
racy  of  nature.  The  noble  forgot  his  acting  under 
the  influence  of  surprise,  and  his  voice  expressed 
as  much  of  admiration  as  command  when  he  said — 

"  This,  then,  is  the  Skimmer  of  the  Seas!" 

"Men  call  me  thus:  if  a  life  passed  on  oceans 
gives  a  claim  to  the  title,  it  has  been  fairly  earned." 

"  Your  character — I  may  say  that  some  portions 
of  your  history,  are  not  unknown  to  me.  Poor  Car- 
naby,  who  is  a  worthy  and  an  industrious  man,  with 
a  growing  family  dependent  on  his  exertions,  has 
entreated  me  to  receive  you,  or  there  might  be  less 
apology  for  this  step  than  I  could  wish.  Men  of  a 
certain  rank,  Master  Skimmer,  owe  so  much  to  their 
station,  that  I  rely  on  your  discretion." 

"  I  have  stood  in  nobler  presences,  my  lord,  and 
found  so  little  change  by  the  honor,  that  I  am  not 
apt  to  boast  of  what  I  see.  Some  of  princely  rank 
have  found  their  profit  in  my  acquaintance." 

"  I  do  not  deny  your  usefulness,  Sir ;  it  is  only  the 
necessity  of  prudence,  I  would  urge.  There  has 
been,  I  believe,  some  sort  of  implied  contract  between 
us — at  least,  so  Carnaby  explains  the  transaction,  for 
I  rarely  enter  into  these  details,  myself — by  ™  hich 
you  may  perhaps  feel  some  right  to  include  me  in 
the  list  of  your  customers.  Men  in  high  places  must 
respect  the  laws,  and  yet  it  is  not  always  convenient, 
or  even  useful,  that  they  should  deny  themselves 
every  indulgence,  which  policy  would  prohibit  to 
the  mass.  One  who  has  seen  as  much  of  life  as 


382  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

yourself,  needs  no  explanations  on  this  head ;  and  I 
cannot  doubt,  but  our  present  interview  will  have  a 
satisfactory  termination." 

The  Skimmer  scarce  deemed  it  necessary  to  con 
ceal  the  contempt  that  caused  his  lip  to  curl,  while 
the  other  was  endeavoring  to  mystify  his  cupidity ; 
and  when  the  speaker  was  done,  he  merely  expressed 
an  assent  by  a  slight  inclination  of  the  head.  The 
ex-governor  saw  that  his  attempt  was  fruitless,  and, 
by  relinquishing  his  masquerade,  and  yielding  more 
to  his  natural  propensities  and  tastes,  he  succeeded 
better. 

"  Carnaby  has  been  a  faithful  agent,"  he  continu 
ed,  "  and  by  his  reports,  it  would  seem  that  our  con 
fidence  has  not  been  misplaced.  If  fame  speaks  true, 
there  is  not  a  more  dexterous  navigator  of  the  nar 
row  seas  than  thyself,  Master  Skimmer.  It  is  to  be 
supposed  that  your  correspondents  on  this  coast,  too, 
are  as  lucrative  as  I  doubt  not  they  are  numerous." 

"  He  who  sells  cheap  can  never  want  a  purcha 
ser.  I  think  your  lordship  has  no  reason  to  complain 
of  prices." 

"  As  pointed  as  his  compass !  Well,  Sir,  as  I  am 
no  longer  master  here,  may  I  ask  the  object  of  this 
interview?" 

"  I  have  come  to  seek  your  interest  in  behalf  of 
one  who  has  fallen  into  the  grasp  of  the  Queen's 
officers." 

"  Hum — the  amount  of  which  is,  that  the  cruiser 
in  the  bay  has  entrapped  some  careless  smuggler. 
We  are  none  of  us  immortal,  and  an  arrest  is  but 
a  legal  death  to  men  of  your  persuasion  in  commerce. 
Interest  is  a  word  of  many  meanings.  It  is  the  in 
terest  of  one  man  to  lend,  and  of  another  to  borrow; 
of  the  creditor  to  receive,  and  of  the  debtor  te 
avoid  payment.  Then  there  is  interest  at  court,  and 
interest  in  court — in  short,  you  must  deal  more  frank 
ly,  ere  I  can  decide  on  the  purport  of  your  visit." 


THE    WATER-WITCH  383 

"I  am  not  ignorart  that  the  Queen  has  been 
pleased  to  name  another  governor  over  this  colony, 
or  that  your  creditors,  my  lord,  have  thought  it  pru 
dent  to  take  a  pledge  for  their  dues,  in  your  person. 
Still,  I  must  think,  that  one  who  stands  so  near  the 
Queen  in  blood,  and  who  sooner  or  later  must  enjoy 
both  rank  and  fortune  in  the  mother  country,  will 
not  solicit  so  slight  a  boon  as  that  I  ask,  without  suc 
cess.  This  is  the  reason  I  prefer  to  treat  with  you." 

"As  clear  an  explanation  as  the  shrewdest  casuist 
could  desire!  I  admire  your  succinctness,  Master 
Skimmer,  and  confess  you  for  the  pink  of  etiquette. 
When  your  fortune  shall  be  made,  I  recommend  the 
court  circle  as  your  place  of  retirement.  Governors, 
creditors,  Queen,  and  imprisonment,  all  as  compactly 
placed,  in  the  same  sentence,  as  if  it  were  the  creed 
written  on  a  thumb-nail !  Well,  Sir,  we  will  suppose 
my  interest  what  you  wish  it. — Who  and  what  is  the 
delinquent  ?" 

"  One  named  Seadrift, — a  useful  and  a  pleasant 
youth,  who  passes  much  between  me  and  my  cus 
tomers  ;  heedless  and  merry  in  his  humors,  but  dear 
to  all  in  my  brigantine,  because  of  tried  fidelity  and 
shrewd  wit.  We  could  sacrifice  the  profits  of  the 
voyage,  that  he  were  free.  To  me  he  is  a  necessary 
agent,  for  his  skill  in  the  judgment  of  rich  tissues, 
and  other  luxuries  that  compose  my  traffic,  is  ex 
ceeding  ;  and  I  am  better  fitted  to  guide  the  vessel 
to  her  haven,  and  to  look  to  her  safety  amid  shoals 
and  in  tempests,  than  to  deal  in  these  trifles  of  female 
vanity." 

"  So  dexterous  a  go-between  should  not  have  mis 
taken  a  tide-waiter  for  a  customer — how  befell  the 
accident  ?" 

"  He  met  the  barge  of  the  Coquette  at  an  unlucky 
moment,  and  as  we  had  so  lately  been  chased  ofT  the 
coast  by  the  cruiser,  there  was  no  choice  but  to  ar 
jest  him." 


384  THE   WATER- WITCH. 

The  dilemma  is  not  without  embarrassment. 
When  once  his  mind  is  settled,  it  is  no  trifle  that  wil. 
amuse  this  Mr.  Ludlow.  I  do  not  know  a  more 
literal  construer  of  his  orders  in  the  fleet ; — a  man, 
Sir.  who  thinks  words  have  but  a  single  set  of  mean* 
ngs,  and  who  knows  as  little  as  can  be  imagined  of 
he  difference  between  a  sentiment  and  a  practice." 

'•  He  is  a  seaman,  my  lord,  and  he  reads  his  in 
structions  with  a  seaman's  simplicity.  I  think  none 
the  worse  of  him,  that  he  cannot  be  tempted  from 
his  duty ;  for,  let  us  understand  the  right  as  we  will, 
our  service  once  taken,  it  becomes  us  all  to  do  it 
faithfully." 

A  small  red  spot  came  and  went  on  the  cheek  of 
the  profligate  Cornbury.  Ashamed  of  his  weakness, 
he  affected  to  laugh  at  what  he  had  heard,  and  con 
tinued  the  discourse. 

"Your  forbearance  and  charity  might  adorn  a 
churchman,  Master  Skimmer!"  he  answered.  "No 
thing  can  be  more  true,  for  this  is  an  age  of  moral 
truths,  as  witness  the  Protestant  succession.  Men 
are  now  expected  to  perform,  and  not  to  profess.  Is 
the  fellow  of  such  usefulness  that  he  may  not  be 
abandoned  to  his  fate  ?  " 

"  Much  as  I  dote  on  my  brigantine,  and  few  men 
set  their  affections  on  woman  with  a  stronger  love,  1 
would  see  the  beauteous  craft  degenerate  to  a  cutter 
for  the  Queen's  revenue,  before  I  would  entertain  the 
thought !  But  I  will  not  anticipate  a  long  and  painful 
imprisonment  for  the  youth,  since  those  who  are  not 
altogether  powerless  already  take  a  deep  and  friendly 
concern  in  his  safety." ' 

<fYou  have  overcome  the  Brigadier!"  cried  the 
other,  in  a  burst  of  exultation,  that  conquered  the 
little  reserve  of  manner  he  had  thought  it  neces 
sary  to  maintain ;  "  that  immaculate  and  reform 
ing  representative  of  my  royal  cousin  has  bitten  oi 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  385 

the  golden  bait,  and  proves  a  true  colony  governor 
after  all!" 

"  Lord  Viscount,  no.  What  we  have  to  hope  or 
what  we  have  to  fear  from  your  successor,  is  to  me 
a  secret " 

"  Ply  him  with  promises,  Master  Skimmer — set 
golden  } topes  before  his  imagination;  set  gold  itself 
before  his  eyes,  and  you  will  prosper.  I  will  pledge 
my  expected  earldom  that  he  yields !  Sir,  these  dis 
tant  situations  are.  like  so  many  half-authorized  mints, 
in  which  money  is  to  be  coined ;  and  the  only  coun 
terfeit  is  your  mimic  representative  of  Majesty.  Ply 
him  with  golden  hopes;  if -mortal,  he  will  yield!" 

"  And  yet,  my  lord,  I  have  met  men  who  preferred 
poverty  and  their  opinions,  to  gold  and  the  wishes  of 
others." 

"  The  dolts  were  lusus  naturae  !"  exclaimed  the 
dissolute  Cornbury,  losing  all  his  reserve  in  a  manner 
that  better  suited  his  known  and  confirmed  charac 
ter.  "  You  should  have  caged  them,  Skimmer,  and 
profited  by  their  dullness,  to  lay  the  curious  under 
contribution.  Don't  mistake  me,  Sir,  if  I  speak  a 
little  in  confidence.  I  hope  I  know  the  difference 
between  a  gentleman  and  a  leveller,  as  well  as  an 
other  ;  but  trust  me,  this  Mr.  Hunter  is  human,  and 
he  will  yield  if  proper  appliances  are  used ; — and 
you  expect  from  me 1" 

"  The  exercise  of  that  influence  which  cannot  fail 
of  success;  since  there  is  a  courtesy  between  men 
of  a  certain  station,  which  causes  them  to  overlook 
rivalry,  in  the  spirit  of  their  caste.  The  cousin  of 
Queen  Anne  can  yet  obtain  the  liberty  of  one  whose 
heaviest  crime  is  a  free  trade,  though  he  may  not  be 
able  to  keep  his  own  seat  in  the  chair  of  the  gov 
ernment." 

"  Thus  far,  indeed,  my  poor  influence  may  yet  ex 
tend,  provided  the  fellow  be  not  named  in  any  act 
of  outlawry.  I  would  gladly  enough  Mr.  Skimmer 
2H 


386  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

end  my  deeds  in  this  hemisphere,  with  some  act  of 
graceful  mercy,  if — indeed — I  saw — the  means " 

"  They  shall  not  be  wanting.  I  know  the  law  ig 
like  any  other  article  of  great  price ;  some  think  that 
Justice  holds  the  balance,  in  order  to  weigh  her  fees. 
Though  the  profits  of  this  hazardous  and  sleepless 
trade  of  mine  be  much  overrated,  I  would  gladly  line 
her  scales  with  two  hundred  broad  pieces,  to  have 
that  youth  again  safe  in  the  cabin  of  the  brigantine." 

As  the  *  Skimmer  of  the  Seas'  thus  spoke,  he 
drew,  with  the  calmness  of  a  man  who  saw  no  use 
in  circumlocution,  a  heavy  bag  of  gold  from  beneath 
his  frock,  and  deposited  it,  without  a  second  look  at 
the  treasure,  on  the  table.  When  this  offering  was 
made,  he  turned  aside,  less  by  design  than  by  a  care 
less  movement  of  the  body,  and,  when  he  faced  his 
companion  again,  the  bag  had  vanished. 

"Your  affection  for  the  lad  is  touching,  Master 
Skimmer,"  returned  the  corrupt  Cornbury;  "it  were 
a  pity  such  friendship  should  be  wasted.  Will  there 
be  proof  to  insure  his  condemnation?" 

"  It  may  be  doubted.  His  dealings  have  only  been 
with  the  higher  class  of  my  customers,  and  with  but 
few  of  them.  The  care  I  now  take  is  more  in  ten 
derness  to  the  youth,  than  with  any  great  doubts  of 
the  result.  I  shall  count  you,  my  lord,  among  his 
protectors,  in  the  event  that  the  affair  is  noised?" 

"  I  owe  it  to  your  frankness — but  will  Mr.  Ludlow 
content  himself  with  the  possession  of  an  inferior, 
when  the  principal  is  so  near?  and  shall  we  not  have 
a  confiscation  of  the  brigantine  on  our  hands?" 

"  I  charge  myself  with  the  care  of  all  else.  There 
was  indeed  a  lucky  escape,  only  the  last  night,  as  we 
lay  at  a  light  kedge,  waiting  for  the  return  of  him 
who  has  been  arrested.  Profiting  by  the  possession 
of  our  skiff,  the  commander  of  the  Coquette,  him 
self,  got  within  the  sweep  of  my  hawse — nay,  he  waa 
in  the  act  of  c  utting  the  very  fastenings,  when*  the 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  387 

dangerous  design  was  discovered.  'T  would  have 
been  a  fate  unworthy  of  the  Water- Witch,  to  be 
cast  on  shore  like  a  drifting  log,  and  to  check  her 
noble  career  by  some  such  a  seizure  as  that  of  a 
tranded  waif!" 

"  You  avoided  the  mischance?" 

"  My  eyes  are  seldom  shut,  lord  Viscount,  when 
danger  is  nigh.  The  skiff  was  seen  in  time,  and 
watched ;  for  I  knew  that  one  in  whom  I  trusted  was 
abroad. — When  the  movement  grew  suspicious,  we 
had  our  means  of  frightening  this  Mr.  Ludlow  from 
his  enterprise,  without  recourse  to  violence." 

"  I  had  not  thought  him  one  to  be  scared  from  fol 
lowing  up  a  business  like  this." 

"  You  judged  him  rightly — I  may  say  we  judged 
him  rightly.  But  when  his  boats  sought  us  at  our  an 
chorage,  the  bird  had  flown." 

"You  got  the  brigantine  to  sea,  in  season?"  ob 
served  Cornbury,  not  sorry  to  believe  that  the  vessel 
was  already  off  the  coast. 

"  I  had  other  business.  My  agent  could  not  be  thus 
deserted,  and  there  were  affairs  to  finish  in  the  city. 
Our  course  lay  up  the  bay." 

"  Ha  !  Master  Skimmer,  'twas  a  bold  step,  and  one 
that  says  little  for  your  discretion  !" 

"  Lord  Viscount,  there  is  safety  in  courage,"  calmly 
and  perhaps  ironically  returned  the  other.  "  While 
the  Queen's  captain  closed  all  the  outlets,  my  little 
craft  was  floating  quietly  under  the  hills  of  Staten, 
Before  the  morning  watch  was  set,  she  passed  these 
wharves ;  and  she  now  awaits  her  captain,  in  the 
broad  basin  that  lies  beyond  the  bend  of  yonder 
head-land." 

"  This  is  a  hardiness  to  be  condemned !  A  failure 
of  wind,  a  change  of  tide,  or  any  of  the  mishaps  com- 
mon  to  the  sea,  may  throw  you  on  the  mercy  of  the 
law,  and  will  greatly  embarrass  all  who  feel  an  in 
terest  in  your  safety." 


388  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

"  So  far  as  this  apprehension  is  connected  with  my 
welfare,  I  thank  you  much,  my  lord ;  but,  trust  me, 
many  hazards  have  left  me  but  little  to  learn  in  this 
particular.  We  shall  run  the  Hell-Gate,  and  gain 
the  open  sea  by  the  Connecticut  Sound." 

"  Truly,  Master  Skimmer,  one  has  need  of  nerve 
to  be  your  confidant !  Faith  in  a  compact  consti 
tutes  the  beauty  of  social  order ;  without  it,  there  is 
no  security  for  interests,  nor  any  repose  for  charac 
ter.  But  faith  may  be  implied,  as  well  as  expressed ; 
and  when  men  in  certain  situations  place  their  de 
pendence  on  others  who  should  have  motives  for 
being  wary,  the  first  are  bound  to  respect,  even  to 
the  details  of  a  most  scrupulous  construction,  the  con 
ditions  of  the  covenant.  Sir,  I  wash  my  hands  of  this 
transaction,  if  it  be  understood  that  testimony  is  to 
be  accumulated  against  us,  by  thus  putting  your 
Water- Witch  in  danger  of  trial  before  the  Admi 
ralty." 

"  I  am  sorry  that  this  is  your  decision,"  returned 
the  Skimmer.  "  What  is  done,  cannot  be  recalled, 
though  I  still  hope  it  may  be  remedied.  My  brigan- 
tine  now  lies  within  a  league  of  this,  and  'twould  be 
treachery  to  deny  it.  Since  it  is  your  opinion,  my 
lord,  that  our  contract  is  not  valid,  there  is  little  use 
in  its  seal — the  broad  pieces  may  still  be  serviceable, 
in  shielding  that  youth  from  harm." 

"  You  arenas  literal  in  constructions,  Master  Skim 
mer,  as  a  school-boy's  version  of  his  Virgil.   There  is 
an  idiom  in  diplomacy,  as  well  as  in  language,  and 
one  who  treats  so  sensibly  should  not  be  ignorant  ol 
its  phrases.  Bless  me,  Sir ;  an  hypothesis  is  not  a  con- 
lusion,  any  more  than  a  promise  is  a  performance. 
That  which  is  advanced  by  way  of  supposition,  is  but 
he  ornament  of  reasoning,  while  your  gold  has  the 
more  solid  character  of  demonstration.    Our  bargain 
is  made." 

The  unsophisticated  mariner  regarded  the  noble 


THE   WATER- WITCH.  389 

casuist  a  moment,  in  doubt  whether  to  acquiesce  in 
this  cone  usion,  or  not ;  but  ere  he  had  decided  on 
his  course,  the  windows  of  the  room  were  shaken  vio 
lently,  and  then  came  the  heavy  roar  jf  a  piece  of 
ordnance. 

"The  morning  gun!"  exclaimed  Cornbury,  who 
tarted  at  the  explosion,  with  the  sensitiveness  of  one 
unworthily  employed. — "  No !  'tis  an  hour  past  the 
rising  of  the  sun  ! " 

The  Skimmer  showed  no  yielding  of  the  nerves, 
though  it  was  evident,  by  his  attitude  of  thought  and 
the  momentary  fixedness  of  his  eye,  that  he  foresaw 
danger  was  near.  Moving  to  the  window,  he  looked 
out  on  the  water,  and  instantly  drew  back,  like  one 
who  wanted  no  further  evidence. 

"  Our  bargain  then  is  made,"  he  said,  hastily  ap 
proaching  the  Viscount,  whose  hand  he  seized  and 
wrung  in  spite  of  the  other's  obvious  reluctance  to 
allow  the  familiarity ;  "  our  bargain  then  is  made. 
Deal  fairly  by  the  youth,  and  the  deed  will  be  re 
membered — deal  treacherously,  and  it  shall  be  re 
venged!" 

For  one  instant  longer,  the  Skimmer  held  the 
member  of  the  effeminate  Cornbury  imprisoned ;  and 
then,  raising  his  cap  with  a  courtesy  that  appeared 
more  in  deference  to  himself  than  his  companion,  he 
turned  on  his  heel,  and  with  a  firm  but  quick  step 
he  left  the  house. 

Carnaby,  who  entered  on  the  instant,  found  his 
guest  in  a  state  between  resentment,  surprise,  and 
alarm.  But  habitual  levity  soon  conquered  other  feel 
ings  ,  and,  finding  himself  freed  from  the  presence  or 
a  man  who  had  treated  him  with  so  little  ceremony 
the  ex-governor  shook  his  head,  like  one  accustomed 
to  submit  to  evils  he  could  not  obviate,  and  assumed 
the  ease  and  insolent  superiority  he  Was  accustomed 
to  maintain  in  the  presence  of  the  obsequious  grocer 

*'  This  may  be  a  coral  or  a  pearl,  or  any  other 
2H2 


300  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

precious  gem  of  the  ocean,  Master  Carnaby,"  he  said, 
unconscious  himself  that  he  was  in  a  manner  endea 
voring  to  cleanse  his  violated  hand  from  the  touch  it 
had  endured,  by  the  use  of  his  handkerchief,  "  but  it 
is  one  on  which  the  salt  water  hath  left  its  crust. 
Truly  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  I  am  never  again  to  be 
blockaded  by  such  a  monster,  or  I  may  better  say, 
harpooned ;  for  the  familiarity  of  the  boatswain  is 
more  painful  than  any  inventions  of  his  brethren  of 
the  deep  can  prove  to  their  relative  the  leviathan. 
Has  the  clock  told  the  hour?" 

*'  Tis  not  yet  six,  my  lord,  and  there  is  abundant 
leisure  for  your  lordship  to  return  in  season  to  your 
lordship's  lodgings.  Mrs.  Carnaby  has  dared  to 'flat 
ter  herself,  that  your  lordship  will  condescend  to 
honor  us  so  far  as  to  taste  a  dish  of  bohea  under  our 
humble  roof." 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  that  gun,  Master  Car 
naby  ?  It  gave  the  alarm  to  the  smuggler,  as  if  it 
had  been  a  summons  from  Execution  Dock,  or  a  groan 
from  the  ghost  of  Kidd." 

"  I  never  presumed  to  think,  my  lord.  I  suppose 
it  to  be  some  pleasure  of  Her  Majesty's  officers  in  the 
fort ;  and  when  that  is  the  case,  one  is  quite  certain 
that  all  is  proper,  and  very  English,  my  lord." 

"  'Fore  George,  Sir,  English  or  Dutch,  it  had  the 
quality  to  frighten  this  sea-fowl — this  curlew — this 
albatross,  from  his  perch!" 

'*  Upon  my  duty  to  your  lordship,  your  lordship 
has  the  severest  wit  of  any  gentleman  in  Her  Majes 
ty's  kingdom  !  But  all  the  nobility  and  gentry  are  so 
witty,  that  it  is  quite  an  honor  and  an  edification  to 
hear  them  !  If  it  is  your  lordship's  pleasure,  I  will 
look  out  of  the  window,  my  lord,  and  see  if  there  be 
any  thing  visible." 

"  Do  so,  Master  Carnaby — I  confess  a  little  curi 
osity  to  know  what  has  given  the  alarm  to  my  sea 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  391 

lion — ha !  do  I  not  see  the  masts  of  a  ship,  moving 
above  the  roofs  of  yonder  line  of  stores  ? " 

"  Well,  your  lordship  has  the  quickest  eye ! — and 
the  happiest  way  of  seeing  things,  of  any  nobleman 
in  England !  Now  I  should  have  stared  a  quarter  of 
an  hour,  before  I  thought  of  looking  over  the  roofs 
of  those  stores,  at  all ;  and  yet  your  lordship  looks 
there  at  the  very  first  glance." 

"  Is  it  a  ship  or  a  brig,  Master  Carnaby — you  have 
the  advantage  of  position,  for  I  would  not  willingly 
be  seen — speak  quickly,  dolt ; — is  it  ship,  or  brig  ? " 

"  My  lord — 'tis  a  brig — or  a  ship — really  I  must 
ask  your  lordship,  for  I  know  so  little  of  these 
things " 

"  Nay,  complaisant  Master  Carnaby — have  an 
opinion  of  your  own  for  one  moment,  if  you  please 
— there  is  smoke  curling  upward,  behind  those 
masts " 

Another  rattling  of  windows,  and  a  second  report, 
removed  all  doubts  on  the  subject  of  the  firing.  At 
the  next  instant,  the  bows  of  a  vessel  of  war  ap 
peared  at  the  opening  of  a  ship-yard,  and  then  came 
gun  after  gun  in  view,  until  the  whole  broadside  and 
frowning  battery  of  the  Coquette  were  visible. 

The  Viscount  sought  no  further  solution  of  the 
reason  why  the  Skimmer  had  left  him  so  hurriedly. 
Fumbling  a  moment  in  a  pocket,  he  drew  forth  a 
hand  filled  with  broad  pieces  of  gold.  These  he  ap 
peared  about  to  lay  upon  the  table ;  but,  as  it  were 
by  forgetfulness,  he  kept  the  member  closed,  and 
bidding  the  grocer  adieu,  he  left  the  house,  with  ag 
firm  a  resolution  as  was  ever  made  by  any  man, 
conscious  of  having  done  both  a  weak  and  a  wicked 
action,  of  never  again  putting  himself  in  familiar 
contact  with  so  truckling  a  miscreant. 


392  THE    WATER- WITCH. 


CHAPTEE  XXVIII. 

44  — What  care  these  roarers  for  the  name  of  king?" 

TEMPEST. 

THE  Manhattanese  will  readily  comprehend  the 
situation  of  the  two  vessels ;  but  those  of  our  coun 
trymen  who  live  in  distant  parts  of  the  Union,  may 
he  glad  to  have  the  localities  explained. 

Though  the  vast  estuary,  which  receives  the  Hud 
son  and  so  many  minor  streams,  is  chiefly  made  by 
an  indentation  of  the  continent,  that  portion  of  it 
which  forms  the  port  of  New- York  is  separated  from 
the  ocean  by  the  happy  position  of  its  islands.  Of 
the  latter,  there  are  two,  which  give  the  general 
character  to  the  basin,  and  even  to  a  long  line  of 
coast ;  while  several,  that  are  smaller,  serve  as  use 
ful  and  beautiful  accessories  to  the  haven  and  to  the 
landscape.  Between  the  bay  of  Raritan  and  that  of 
New- York  there  are  two  communications,  one  be 
tween  the  islands  of  Staten  and  Nassau,  called  the 
Narrows,  which  is  the  ordinary  ship-channel  of  the 
port,  and  the  other  between  Staten  and  the  main, 
which  is  known  by  the  name  of  the  Kilns.  It  is  by 
means  of  the  latter,  that  vessels  pass  into  the  neigh 
boring  waters  of  New-Jersey,  and  have  access  to  so 
many  of  the  rivers  of  that  state.  But  while  the  island 
of  Staten  does  so  much  for  the  security  and  facilities  of 
the  port,  that  of  Nassau  produces  an  effect  on  a  great 
extent  of  coast.  After  sheltering  one-half  of  the  har 
bor  from  the  ocean,  the  latter  approaches  so  near 
the  continent  as  to  narrow  the  passage  between  them 
to  the  length  of  two  cables,  and  then  stretching  away 
eastward  for  the  distance  of  a  hundred  miles,  it  forms 
a  wide  and  beautiful  sound.  After  passing  a  elustei 
of  islands,  at  a  point  which  lies  forty  leagues  from 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  393 

the  city,  by  another  passage,  vessels  can  gain  the 
open  sea. 

The  seaman  will  at  once  understand,  that  the 
tide  of  flood  must  necessarily  flow  into  these  vast 
estuaries  from  different  directions.  The  current 
which  enters  by  Sandy-Hook  (the  scene  of  so  much 
of  this  tale)  flows  westward  into  the  Jersey  rivers, 
northward  into  the  Hudson,  and  eastward  along  the 
arm  of  the  sea  that  lies  between  Nassau  and  the 
Main.  The  current,  that  comes  by  the  way  of 
Montauk,  or  the  eastern  extremity  of  Nassau,  raises 
the  vast  basin  of  the  Sound,  fills  the  streams  of  Con 
necticut,  and  meets  the  western  tide  at  a  place  called 
Throgmorton,  and  within  twenty  miles  of  the  city. 

As  the  size  of  the  estuaries  is  so  great,  it  is  scarcely 
necessary  to  explain  that  the  pressure  of  so  wide 
sheets  of  water  causes  the  currents,  at  all  the  narrow 
passes,  to  be  exceedingly  rapid ;  since  that  equal  diffu 
sion  of  the  element,  which  depends  on  a  natural  law, 
must,  wherever  there  is  a  deficiency  of  space,  be  ob 
tained  by  its  velocity,  There  is,  consequently,  a 
quick  tide  throughout  the  whole  distance  between 
the  harbor  and  Throgmorton ;  while  it  is  permitted 
to  poetic  license  to  say,  that  at  the  narrowest  part  of 
the  channel,  the  water  darts  by  the  land  like  an  ar 
row  parting  from  its  bow.  Owing  to  a  sudden  bend 
in  the  course  of  the  stream,  which  makes  two  right- 
angles  within  a  short  distance,  the  dangerous  posi 
tion  of  many  rocks  that  are  visible  and  more  that 
are  not,  and  the  confusion  produced  by  currents, 
counter-currents,  and  eddies,  this  critical  pass  has 
received  the  name  of  "  Hell-Gate."  It  is  memora 
ble  for  causing  many  a  gentle  bosom  to  palpitate  with 
a  terror  that  is  a  little  exaggerated  by  the  boding 
name,  though  it  is  constantly  the  cause  of  pecuniary 
losses,  and  has  in  many  instances  been  the  source 
of  much  personal  danger.  It  was  here,  that  a 
British  frigate  was  lost,  during  the  war  of  the  Revo 


394  THE    WATER-WITCH, 

lution,  in  consequence  of  having  struck  a  rock  called 
1  the  Pot,'  the  blow  causing  the  ship  to  fill  and  to 
founder  so  suddenly,  that  even  some  of  her  people 
are  said  to  have  been  drowned.     A  similar  but  a 
greatly  lessened   effect  is  produced  in  the  passage 
among  the  islands,  by  which  vessels  gain  the  ocean  a 
the  eastern  extremity  of  the  sound ;  though  the  mag 
nitude  of  the  latter  sheet  of  water  is  so  much  greater 
than  that  of  Raritan-bay  and  the  harbor  of  New- York 
that  the  force  of  its  pressure  is  diminished  by  a  corre 
sponding  width  in  the  outlets.   With  these  explana 
tions,  we  shall  return  to  the  thread  of  the  narrative. 

When  the  person,  who  has  so  long  been  known  in 
our  pages  by  the  nom  de  guerre  of  Tiller,  gained  the 
open  street,  he  had  a  better  opportunity  of  under 
standing  the  nature  of  the  danger  which  so  immi 
nently  pressed  upon  the  brigantine.  With  a  single 
glance  at  the  symmetrical  spars  and  broad  yards  of 
the  ship  that  was  sweeping  past  the  town,  he  knew 
her  to  be  the  Coquette.  The  little  flag  at  her  fore- 
top-gallant  mast  sufficiently  explained  the  meaning 
of  the  gun ;  for  the  two,  in  conjunction  with  the  di 
rection  the  ship  was  steering,  told  him,  in  language 
that  any  seaman  could  comprehend,  that  she  de 
manded  a  Hell-Gate  pilot.  By  the  time  the  Skim 
mer  reached  the  end  of  a  lone  wharf,  where  a  light 
and  swift-rowing  boat  awaited  his  return,  the  sec 
ond  report  bespoke  the  impatience  of  his  pursuers 
to  be  furnished  with  the  necessary  guide. 

Though  the  navigation  in  this  Republic,  coastwise, 
now  employs  a  tonnage  equalling  that  used  in  all  the 
commerce  of  any  other  nation  of  Christendom,  Eng- 
and  alone  excepted,  it  was  of  no  great  amount  at 
he  commencement  of  the  eighteenth  century.  A 
single  ship,  lying  at  the  wharves,  and  two  or  three 
brigs  and  schooners  at  anchor  in  the  rivers,  composed 
the  whole  show  of  sea  vessels  then  in  port.  To  these 
were  to  be  added  some  twenty  smaller  coasters  and 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  395 

river-craft,  most  of  whom  were  the  shapeless  and 
slow-moving  masses  which  then  plied,  in  voyages  of  a 
month's  duration,  between  the  two  prircipal  towns 
of  the  colony.  The  appeal  of  the  Coquette,  there 
fore,  at  that'  hour  and  in  that  age,  was  not  likely  to 
be  quickly  answered. 

The  ship  had  got  fairly  into  the  arm  of  the  sea 
which  separates  the  island  of  Manhattan  from  that 
of  Nassau,  and  though  it  was  not  then,  as  now,  nar 
rowed  by  artificial  means,  its  tide  was  so  strong  as, 
aided  by  the  breeze,  to  float  her  swiftly  onward.  A 
third  gun  shook  the  windows  of  the  city,  causing 
many  a  worthy  burgher  to  thrust  his  head  through 
his  casement ;  and  yet  no  boat  was  seen  pulling  from 
the  land,  nor  was  there  any  other  visible  sign  that 
the  signal  would  be  speedily  obeyed.  Still  the  royal 
cruiser  stood  steadily  on,  with  sail  packed  above  sail, 
and  every  sheet  of  canvas  spread,  that  the  direction 
of  a  wind,  which  blew  a  little  forward  of  the  beam, 
would  aHow. 

"  We  must  pull  for  our  own  safety,  and  that  of  the 
brigantine,  my  men;  "said  the  Skimmer,  springing 
into  his  boat  and  seizing  the  tiller — "  A  quick  stroke, 
and  a  strong ! — here  is  no  time  for  holiday  feathering, 
or  your  man-of-war  jerk  !  Give  way,  boys ;  give  way, 
with  a  will,  and  together!" 

These  were  sounds  that  had  often  saluted  the  ears 
of  men  engaged  in  the  hazardous  pursuit  of  his  crew. 
The  oars  fell  into  the  water  at  the  same  moment, 
and,  quick  as  thought,  the  light  bark  was  in  the 
strength  of  the  current. 

The  short  range  of  wharves  was  soon  passed,  and, 
ere  many  minutes,  the  boat  was  gliding  up  with  the 
tide,  between  the  bluffs  of  Long  Island  and  the  pro 
jection  which  forms  the  angle  on  that  part  of  Man 
hattan.  Here  the  Skimmer  was  induced  to  sheer 
more  into  the  centre  of  the  passage,  in  order  to  avoid 
the  eddies  formed  by  the  point,  and  to  preserve  the 


- 

39()  THE  WATER-WITCH. 

whole  benefit  of  the  current.  As  the  boat  approach 
ed  Coerlaer's,  his  eye  was  seen  anxiously  examining 
Ihe  wider  reach  of  the  water,  that  began  to  open 
above,  in  quest  of  his  brigantine.  Another  gun  was 
heard.  A  moment  after  the  report,  there  followed 
the  whistling  of  a  shot ;  and  then  succeeded  the  re 
bound  on  the  water,  and  the  glittering  particles  ol 
the  spray.  The  ball  glanced  a  few  hundred  feet 
further,  and,  skipping  from  place  to  place,  it  soon 
sunk  into  the  element. 

"  This  Mr.  Ludlow  is  disposed  to  kill  two  birds  with 
the  same  stone,"  coolly  observed  the  Skimmer,  not 
even  bending  his  head  aside,  to  note  the  position  ol 
the  ship.  "  He  wakes  the  burghers  of  the  town  with 
his  noise,  while  he  menaces  our  boat  with  his  bullets, 
We  are  seen,  my  friends,  and  have  no  dependence 
but  our  own  manhood,  with  some  assistance  from  the 
lady  of  the  sea-green  mantle.  A  quicker  stroke,  and 
a  strong!  You  have  the  Queen's  cruiser  before  you, 
Master  Coil ;  does  she  show  boats  on  her  quarters,  01 
are  the  davits  empty  ? " 

The  seaman  addressed  pulled  the  stroke-oar  of  the 
boat,  and  consequently  he  faced  the  Coquette.  With 
out  in  the  least  relaxing  his  exertions,  he  rolled  his 
eyes  over  the  ship,  and  answered  with  a  steadiness 
that  showed  him  to  be  a  man  accustomed  to  situa 
tions  of  hazard. 

"  His  boat-falls  are  as  loose  as  a  mermaid's  lockj> 
your  Honor,  and  he  shows  few  men  in  his  tops ;  there 
are  enough  of  the  rogues  left,  however,  to  give  us 
another  shot." 

"  Her  Majesty's  servants  are  early  awake,  this 
morning.  Another  stroke  or  two,  hearts  of  oak,  and 
we  throw  them  behind  the  land !" 

A  second  shot  fell  into  the  water,  just  without  the 
blades  of  the  oars  ;  and  then  the  boat,  obedient  to  its 
helro,  whirled  round  the  point,  and  the  ship  was  no 
longer  visible.  As  the  cruiser  was  shut  in  by  the 


THE  WATER-WITCH.  397 

formation  of  the  land,  the  brigantine  came  into  view 
on  the  opposite  side  of  Coerlaer's.  Notwithstand 
ing  the  calmness  that  reigned  in  the  features  of  the 
Skimmer,  one  who  studied  his  countenance  closely 
might  have  seen  an  expression  of  concern  shadowing 
his  manly  face,  as  the  Water- Witch  first  met  his  eye 
Still  he  spoke  not,  concealing  his  uneasiness,  if  in 
truth  he  felt  any,  from  those  whose  exertions  were 
at  that  moment  of  the  last  importance.  As  the  crew 
of  the  expecting  vessel  saw  their  boat,  they  altered 
their  course,  and  the  two  were  soon  together. 

"Why  is  that  signal  still  flying?"  demanded  the 
Skimmer,  the  instant  his  foot  touched  the  deck  of  his 
brigantine,  and  pointing,  as  he  spoke,  at  the  little  flag 
that  fluttered  at  the  head  of  the  forward  mast. 

"  We  keep  it  aloft,  to  hasten  off  the  pilot,"  was 
the  answer. 

"Has  not  the  treacherous  knave  kept  faith?"  ex 
claimed  the  Skimmer,  half  recoiling  in  surprise.  "  He 
has  my  gold,  and  in  return  I  hold  fifty  of  his  worth 
less  promises — ha ! — the  laggard  is  in  yon  skiff;  ware 
the  brig  round,  and  meet  him,  for  moments  are  as 
precious  now  as  water  in  a  desert." 

The  helm  was  a-weather,  and  the  lively  brigantine 
had  already  turned  more  than  half  aside,  when  an 
other  gun  drew  every  eye  towards  the  point.  The 
smoke  was  seen  rising  above  the  bend  of  the  land, 
and  presently  the  head-sails,  followed  by  all  the  hull 
and  spars  of  the  Coquette,  came  into  view.  At  that 
instant,  a.  voice  from  forward  announced  that  the 
pilot  had  turned,  and  was  rowing  with  all  his  powers 
towards  the  shore.  The  imprecations  that  were 
heaped  on  the  head  of  the  delinquent  were  many 
and  deep,  but  it  was  no  time  for  indecision.  The  two 
vessels  were  not  half  a  mile  apart,  and  now  was  the 
moment  to  show  the  qualities  of  the  Water- Witch. 
Her  helm  was  shifted  ;  and,  as  if  conscious  herself  of 
the  danger  that  threatened  her  libcrtv.  the  beautiful 


398  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

fabric  came  sweeping  up  to  her  course,  and,  inclining 
to  the  breeze,  with  one  heavy  flap  of  the  canvas,  she 
glided  ahead  with  all  her  wonted  ease.  But,  the 
royal  cruiser  was  a  ship  of  ten  thousand  !  For  twenty 
minutes,  the  nicest  eye  might  have  been  at  a  loss  to 
say  which  lost  or  which  gained,  so  equally  did  the 
pursuer  and  the  pursued  hold  on  their  way.  As  the 
brigantine  was  the  first,  however,  to  reach  the  nar 
row  passage  formed  by  Blackwell's,  her  motion  was 
favored  by  the  increasing  power  of  the  stream.  It 
would  seem  that  this  change,  slight  as  it  was,  did  not 
escape  the  vigilance  of  those  in  the  Coquette ;  for 
the  gun,  which  had  been  silent  so  long,  againt  sent 
forth  its  flame  and  smoke.  Four  discharges,  in  Jess 
than  so  many  minutes,  threatened  a  serious  disad 
vantage  to  the  free-traders.  Shot  after  shot  passed 
among  their  spars,  and  opened  wide  rents  in  the  can 
vas.  A  few  more  such  assaults  would  deprive  them 
of  their  means  of  motion.  Aware  of  the  crisis,  the 
accomplished  and  prompt  seaman  who  governed  her 
movements  needed  but  an  instant  to  form  his  de 
cision. 

The  brigantine  was  now  nearly  up  with  the  head 
of  Blackwell's.  It  was  half-flood,  on  a  spring  tide. 
The  reef  that  projects  from  the  western  end  of  the 
island  far  into  the  reach  below,  was  nearly  covered ; 
but  still  enough  was  visible  to  show  the  nature  of 
the  barrier  it  presented  to  a  passage  from  one  shore 
to  the  other.  There  was  one  rock,  near  the  island 
itself,  which  lifted  its  black  head  high  above  the 
water.  Between  this  dark  mass  of  stone  and  the 
land,  there  was  an  opening  of  some  twenty  fathoms 
in  width.  The  Skimmer  saw,  by  the  even  and  un 
broken  waves  that  rolled  through  the  passage,  that 
the  bottom  lay  less  near  to  the  surface  of  the  water, 
in  that  opening,  than  at  any  other  point  along  the 
line  of  reef.  He  commanded  the  helm  a-weathei 
once  more,  and  calmly  trusted  to  the  issue. 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  399 

Not  a  man  on  board  that  brigantine  was  aware 
that  the  shot  of  the  royal  cruiser  was  whistling 
between  their  masts,  and  damaging  their  gear,  as 
the  little  vessel  glided  into  the  narrow  opening.  A 
single  blow  on  the  rock  would  have  been  destruction, 
and  the  lesser  danger  was  entirely  absorbed  in  the 
greater.  But  when  the  passage  was  cleared,  and 
the  true  stream  in  the  other  channel  gained,  a  com 
mon  shout  proclaimed  both  the  weight  of  their  ap 
prehension  and  their  relief.  In  another  minute,  the 
head  of  BlackwelPs  protected  them  from  the  shot  of 
their  pursuers. 

The  length  of  the  reef  prevented  the  Coquette 
from  changing  her  direction,  and  her  draught  of 
water  closed  the  passage  between  the  rock  and  the 
island.  But  the  deviation  from  the  straight  course, 
and  the  passage  of  the  eddies,  had  enabled  the  ship, 
which  came  steadily  on,  to  range  tip  nearly  abeam 
of  her  chase.  Both  vessels,  though  separated  by  the 
long  narrow  island,  were  now  fairly  in  the  force  of 
those  currents  which  glide  so  swiftly  through  the 
confined  passages.  A  sudden  thought  glanced  on  the 
mind  of  the  Skimmer,  and  he  lost  no  time  in  at 
tempting  to  execute  its  suggestion.  Again  the  helm 
was  put  up,  and  the  image  of  the  sea-green  lady 
was  seen  struggling  to  stem  the  rapid  waters.  Had 
this  effort  been  crowned  with  success,  the  triumph 
of  her  followers  would  have  been  complete ;  sine 
the  brigantine  might  have  reached  some  of  the  eddie 
of  the  reach  below,  and  leaving  her  heavier  pursuer 
to  contend  with  the  strength  of  the  tide,  she  would 
have  gained  the  open  sea,  by  the  route  over  which 
he  had  so  lately  passed.  But  a  single  minute  of  trial 
convinced  the  bold  mariner  that  his  decision  came 
too  late.  The  wind  was  insufficient  to  pass  the  gorge, 
and,  environed  by  the  Ian'],  with  a  tide  that  grew 
stronger  at  each  moment,  he  saw  that  delay  would 
be  destruction.  Once  more  the  light  vessel  yielded 


400  THE   WATER-WITCH. 

to  the  helm,  and,  with  every  thing  set  to  the  best  ad 
vantage,  she  darted  along  the  passage. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  Coquette  had  not  been  idle. 
Borne  on  by  the  breeze,  and  floating  with  the  cur 
rent,  she  had  even  gained  upon  her  chase ;  and  a 
her  lofty  and  light  sails  drew  strongest  over  the  land 
there  was  every  prospect  of  her  first  reaching  the 
eastern  end  of  BlackwelPs.  Ludlow  saw  his  advan 
tage,  and  made  his  preparations  accordingly. 

There  needs  little  explanation  to  render  the  :ir- 
cumstances  which  brought  the  royal  cruiser  up  to 
town,  intelligible  to  the  reader.  As  the  morning  ap 
proached,  she  had  entered  more  deeply  into  the  bay; 
and  when  the  light  permitted,  those  on  board  her 
had  been  able  to  see  that  no  vessel  lay  beneath  the 
hills,  nor  in  any  of  the  more  retired  places  of  the 
estuary.  A  fisherman,  however,  removed  the  last  of 
their  doubts,  by  reporting  that  he  had  seen  a  vessel, 
whose  description  answered  that  of  the  Water- 
Witch,  passing  the  Narrows  in  me  middle  watch. 
He  added  that  a  swiftly-rowing  boat  was,  shortly 
after,  seen  pulling  in  the  same  direction.  *  This  clue 
had  been  sufficient.  Ludlow  made  a  signal  for  his 
own  boats  to  close  the  passages  of  the  Kilns  and  the 
Narrows,  and  then,  as  has  been  seen,  he  steered  di 
rectly  into  the  harbor. 

When  Ludlow  found  himself  in  the  position  just 
described,  he  turned  all  his  attention  to  the  double 
object  of  preserving  his  own  vessel,  and  arresting 
that  of  the  free-trader.  Though  there  was  still  a 
possibility  of  damaging  the  spars  of  the  brigantine 
by  firing  across  the  land,  the  feebleness  of  his  own 
crew,  reduced  as  it  was  by  more  than  half  its  num 
bers,  the  danger  of  doing  injury  to  the  farm-houses 
that  were  here  and  there  placed  along  the  low  cliffs, 
and  the  necessity  of  preparation  to  meet  the  critical 
pass  ahead,  united  to  prevent  the  attempt.  The 
ship  was  no  sooner  fairly  entered  into  the  pass,  be 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  40  J 

tween  Blackwell's  and  Nassau,  than  he  issued  ar 
order  to  secure  the  guns  that  had  been  used,  and  to 
clear  away  the  anchors. 

"  Cock-bill  the  bowers,  Sir,"  he  hastily  added,  in 
his  orders  to  Trysail.  "  We  are  in  no  condition  to 
sport  with  stock-and-fluke ;  have  every  thing  ready 
to  let  go  at  a  word ;  and  see  the  grapnels  ready, — 
we  will  throw  them  aboard  the  smuggler  as  we  close, 
and  take  him  alive.  Once  fast  to  the  chain,  we  are 
yet  strong  enough  to  h  ml  him  in  under  our  scuppers, 
and  to  capture  him  with  the  pumps !  Is  the  signal 
still  abroad,  for  a  pilot?" 

"We  keep  it  flying,  Sir,  but  'twill  be  a  swift  boat 
that  overhauls  us  in  this  tide's-way.  The  Gate  be 
gins  at  yonder  bend  in  the  land,  Captain  Ludlow ! " 

"  Keep  it  abroad ;  the  lazy  rogues  are  sometimes 
loitering  in  the  cove  this  side  the  rocks,  and  chance 
may  throw  one  of  them  aboard  us,  as  we  pass.  See 
to  the  anchors,  Sir ;  the  ship  is  driving  through  this 
channel,  like  a  race-horse  under  the  whip !" 

The  men  were  hurriedly  piped  to  this  duty,  while 
their  young  commander  took  his  station  on  the  poop, 
now  anxiously  examining  the  courses  of  the  tides 
and  the  positions  of  the  eddies,  and  now  turning  his 
eyes  towards  the  brigantine,  whose  upper  spars  and 
white  sails  were  to  be  seen,  at  the  distance  of  two 
hundred  fathoms,  glancing  past  the  trees  of  the  isl 
and.  But  miles  and  minutes  seemed  like  rods  and 
moments,  in  that  swift  current.  Trysail  had  just  re 
ported  the  anchors  ready,  when  the  ship  swept  up 
abreast  of  the  cove,  where  vessels  often  seek  an  an 
chorage,  to  await  favorable  moments  for  entering 
the  Gafe.  Ludlow  saw7  at  a  glance,  that  the  place 
was  entirely  empty.  For  an  instant  he  yielded  to 
the  heavy  responsibility — a  responsibility  before 
which  a  seaman  sooner  shrinks  than  before  any 
other — that  of  charging  himself  with  the  duty  of 
the  pilot ;  and  he  thought  of  running  into  the  an- 
212 


402  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

chorage  for  shelter.  But  another  glimpse  at  the  span 
of  the  brigantine  caused  him  to  waver. 

"  We  are  near  the  Gate,  Sir !"  cried  Trysail,  in  a 
voice  that  was  full  of  warning. 

"  Yon  daring  mariner  stands  on  !" 

"  The  rogue  sails  his  vessel  without  the  Queen's 
permission,  Captain  Ludlow.  They  tell  me,  this  is  a 
passage  that  has  been  well  named  !" 

"  I  have  been  through  it,  and  will  vouch  for  its 
character — he  shows  no  signs  of  anchoring !" 

"  If  the  woman  who  points  his  course  can  carry 
him  through  safely,  she  deserves  her  title.  We  are 
passing  the  Cove,  Captain  Ludlow  I" 

•'We  are  past  it!"  returned  Ludlow,  breathing 
heavily.  "  Let  there  be  no  whisper  in  the  ship — 
pilot  or  no  pilot,  we  now  sink  or  swim ! " 

Trysail  had  ventured  to  remonstrate,  while  there 
was  a  possibility  of  avoiding  the  danger ;  but,  like 
his  commander,  he  now  saw  that  all  depended  on 
their  own  coolness  and  care.  He  passed  busily  among 
the  crew;  saw  that  each  brace  and  bowline  way 
manned ;  cautioned  the  few  young  officers  who  con 
tinued  on  board  to  vigilance,  and  then  awaited  the 
orders  of  his  superior,  with  the  composure  that  is  so 
necessary  to  a  seaman  in  the  moment  of  trial.  Lud 
low  himself,  while  he  felt  the  load  of  responsibility 
he  had  assumed,  succeeded  equally  well  in  main 
taining  an  outward  calm.  The  ship  was  irretriev 
ably  in  the  Gate,  and  no  human  power  could  retrace 
the  step.  At  such  moments  of  intense  anxiety,  the 
human  mind  is  wont  to  seek  support  in  the  opinions 
of  others.  Notwithstanding  the  increasing  velocity 
and  the  critical  condition  of  *his  own  vessel,  Ludlow 
cast  a  glance,  in  order  to  ascertain  the  determination 
of  the  *  Skimmer  of  the  Seas.'  Blackwell's  was  al 
ready  behind  them,  and  as  the  two  currents  were 
again  united,  the  brigantine  had  luffed  up  into  the 
entrance  of  the  dangerous  passage,  and  now  followed 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  403 

within  two  hundred  feet  of  the  Coquette,  directly  in 
her  wake.  The  bold  and  manly-looking  mariner, 
who  controlled  her,  stood  between  the  night-heads, 
just  above  the  image  of  his  pretended  mistress,  where 
he  examined  the  foaming  reefs,  the  whirling  eddies, 
and  the  varying  currents,  with  folded  arms  and  a 
riveted  eye.  A  glance  was  exchanged  between  the 
two  officers,  and  the  free-trader  raised  his  sea-cap. 
Ludlow  was  too  courteous  not  to  return  the  saluta 
tion,  and  then  all  his  senses  were  engrossed  by  the 
care  of  his  ship.  A  rock  lay  before  them,  over 
which  the  water  broke  in  a  loud  and  unceasing  roar. 
For  an  instant  it  seemed  that  the  vessel  could  not 
avoid  the  danger,  and  then  it  was  already  past. 

"  Brace  up !"  said  Ludlow,  in  the  calm  tones  that 
denote  a  forced  tranquillity. 

"  Luff!"  called  out  the  Skimmer,  so  quickly  as  to 
show  that  he  took  the  movements  of  the  cruiser  for 
his  guide.  The  ship  came  closer  to  the  wind,  but 
the  sudden  bend  in  the  stream  no  longer  permitted 
her  to  steer  in  a  direct  line  with  its  course.  Though 
drifting  to  windward  with  vast  rapidity,  her  way 
through  the  water,  which  was  greatly  increased  by 
the  contrary  actions  of  the  wind  and  tide,  caused  the 
cruiser  to  shoot  across  the  current;  while  a  reef, 
over  which  the  water  madly  tumbled,  lay  immedi 
ately  in  her  course.  The  danger  seemed  too  immi 
nent  for  the  observances  of  nautical  etiquette,  and 
Trysail  called  aloud  that  the  ship  must  be  thrown 
aback,  or  she  was  lost. 

"  Hard-a-lee ! "  shouted  Ludlow,  in  the  strong 
voice  of  authority. — "  Up  with  every  thing — tacks 
and  sheets  ! — main-top-sail  haul ! " 

The  shiL)  seemed  as  conscious  of  her  danger  as  any 
on  her  decks.  The  bow-s  whirled  away  from  the 
foaming  re°f,  and  as  the  sails  caught  the  breeze  on 
their  opposite  surfaces,  they  aided  in  bringing  her 
head  in  the  Contrary  direction.  A  minute  had  scarce 


404  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

ly  passed  ere  she  was  aback,  and  in  the  next  she 
was  about  and  full  again.  The  intensity  of  the  brief 
exertion  kept  Trysail  fully  employed ;  but  no  sooner 
had  he  leisure  to  look  ahead,  than  he  again  called 
aloud — 

"  Here  is  another  roarer  under  her  bows ; — luff 
Sir,  luff,  or  we  are  upon  it!" 

"  Hard  down  your  helm ! "  once  again  came  in 
deep  tones  from  Ludlow — "  Let  fly  your  sheets — 
throw  all  aback,  forward  and  aft — away  with  the 
yards,  with  a  will,  men ! " 

There  was  need  for  all  of  these  precautions. 
Though  the  ship  had  so  happily  escaped  the  dan 
gers  of  the  first  reef,  a  turbulent  and  roaring  cal 
dron  in  the  water,  which,  as  representing  the  ele 
ment  in  ebullition,  is  called  *  the  Pot,'  lay  so  directly 
before  her,  as  to  render  the  danger  apparently  inevi 
table.  But  the  power  of  the  canvas  was  not  lost  on 
this  trying  occasion.  The  forward  motion  of  the  ship 
diminished,  and  as  the  current  still  swept  her  swiftly 
to  windward,  her  bows  did  not  enter  the  rolling 
waters  until  the  hidden  rocks  which  caused  the  com 
motion  had  been  passed.  The  yielding  vessel  rose 
and  fell  in  the  agitated  water,  as  if  in  homage  to 
the  whirlpool ;  but  the  deep  keel  was  unharmed. 

"  If  the  ship  shoot  ahead  twice  her  length  more, 
her  bows  will  touch  the  eddy  !"  exclaimed  the  vigi 
lant  master. 

Ludlow  looked  around  him,  for  a  single  moment, 
in  indecision.  The  waters  were  whirling  and  roaring 
on  every  side,  and  the  sails  began  to  lose  their  power, 
as  the  ship  drew  near  the  bluff  which  forms  the 
second  angle  in  this  critical  pass.  He  saw,  by  ob- 
'ects  on  the  land,  that  he  still  approached  the  shore, 
and  he  had  recourse  to  the  seaman's  last  expedient. 

"  Let  go  both  anchors !"  was  the  final  order. 

The  fall  of  the  massive  iron  into  the  water,  wai 
succeeded  by  the  rumbling  of  the  cable.  The  first 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  405 

»  fort  to  check  the  progress  of  the  vessel,  appeared 
i/»  threaten  dissolution  to  the  whole  fabric,  which 
trembled  under.the  shock  from  its  mast-heads  to  the 
keel.  But  the  enormous  rope  again  yielded,  and 
smoke  was  seen  rising  round  the  wood  which  held  it. 
The  ship  whirled  with  the  sudden  check,  and  sheered 
wildly  in  towards  the  shore.  Met  by  the  helm,  and 
again  checked  by  the  efforts  of  the  crew,  she  threat 
ened  to  defy  restraint.  There  was  an  instant  when 
all  on  board  expected  to  hear  the  cable  snap ;  but 
the  upper  sails  filled,  and  as  the  wind  was  now 
brought  over  the  taffrail,  the  force  of  the  current 
was  in  a  great  degree  met  by  that  of  the  breeze. 

The  ship  answered  her  helm  and  became  station 
ary,  while  the  water  foamed  against  her  cut-water, 
as  if  she  were  driven  ahead  with  the  power  of  a  brisk 
breeze. 

The  time,  from  the  moment  when  the  Coquette 
entered  the  Gate,  to  that  when  she  anchored  below 
'  the  Pot,'  though  the  distance  was  near  a  mile,  seemed 
but  a  minute.  Certain  however  that  his  ship  was 
now  checked,  the  thoughts  of  Ludlow  returned  to 
their  other  duties  with  the  quickness  of  lightning. 

"'  Clear  away  the  grapnels  /"  he  eagerly  cried — 
"  Stand  by  to  heave,  and  haul  in  ! — heave  !" 

But,  that  the  reader  may  better  comprehend  the 
motive  of  this  sudden  order,  he  must  consent  to  re 
turn  to  the  entrance  of  the  dangerous  passage,  and 
accompany  the  Water- Witch,  also,  in  her  hazardous 
experiment  to  get  through  without  a  pilot. 

The  abortive  attempt  of  the  brigantine  to  stem 
the  tide  at  the  western  end  of  BlackwelPs,  will  be 
remembered.  It  had  no  other  effect  than  to  place 
her  pursuer  more  in  advance,  and  to  convince  her 
own  commander  that  he  had  now  no  other  resource 
lhan  (o  continue  his  course;  for,  had  he  anchored, 
boats  would  have  insured  his  capture.  When  the 
two  vessels  appeared  off  the  eastern  end  of  the  island, 


406  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

the  Coquette  was  ahead, — a  fact  that  the  experienced 
free-trader  did  not  at  all  regret.  He  profited  by  the 
circumstance  to  follow  her  movements,  and  to  make 
a  favorable  entrance  into  the  uncertain  currents.  To 
him,  Hell-Gate  was  known  only  by  its  fearful  repu 
tation  among  mariners ;  and  unless  he  might  avail 
himself  of  the  presence  of  the  cruiser,  he  had  nc 
other  guide  than  his  own  general  knowledge  of  the 
power  of  the  element. 

When  the  Coquette  had  tacked,  the  calm  and  ob 
servant  Skimmer  was  satisfied  with  throwing  his 
head-sails  flat  to  the  mast.  From  that  instant,  the 
brigantine  lay  floating  in  the  current,  neither  advan 
cing  nor  receding  a  foot,  and  always  keeping  her 
position  at  a  safe  distance  from  the  ship,  that  was  so 
adroitly  made  to  answer  the  purposes  of  a  beacon. 
The  sails  were  watched  with  the  closest  care ;  and 
so  nicely  was  the  delicate  machine  tended,  that  it 
would  have  been,  at  any  moment,  in  her  people's 
power  to  have  lessened  her  way,  by  turning  to  the 
stream.  The  Coquette  was  followed  till  she  anchored, 
and  the  call  on  board  the  cruiser  to  heave  the  grap 
nels  had  been  given,  because  the  brigantine  was  ap 
parently  floating  directly  down  on  her  broadside. 

When  the  grapnels  were  hove  from  the  royal 
cruiser,  the  free-trader  stood  on  the  low  poop  of  his 
little  vessel,  within  fifty  feet  of  him  who  had  issued 
the  order.  There  was  a  smile  of  indifference  on  his 
firm  mouth,  while  he  silently  waved  a  hand  to  his 
own  crew.  The  signal  was  obeyed  by  bracing  round 
their  yards,  and  suffering  all  the  canvas  to  fill.  The 
brigantine  shot  quickly  ahead,  and  the  useless  irons 
fell  heavily  into  the  water. 

"  Many  thanks  for  your  pilotage,  Captain  Lud- 
low  ! "  cried  the  daring  and  successful  mariner  of  the 
shawl,  as  his  vessel,  borne  on  by  wind  and  current, 
receded  rapidly  from  the  cruiser — "You  will  find 
ine  off  Montauk ;  for  affairs  still  keep  us  on  the 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  407 

coast.  Our  lady  has,  however,  put  on  the  blue 
mantle ;  and  ere  many  settings  of  the  sun,  we  shall 
look  for  deep  water.  Take  good  care  of  Her  Majes 
ty's  ship,  I  pray  thee,  for  she  has  neither  a  more 
beautiful  nor  a  faster  1" 

One  thought  succeeded  another  with  the  tumult 
>f  a  torrent,  in  the  mind  of  Ludlow.  As  the  brigan- 
tine  lay  directly  under  his  broadside,  the  first  impulse 
was  to  use  his  guns ;  but  at  the  next  moment  he  was 
conscious,  that  before  they  could  be  cleared,  distance 
would  render  them  useless.  His  lips  had  nearly 
parted  with  intent  to  order  the  cables  cut,  but  he 
remembered  the  speed  of  the  brigantine,  and  hesi 
tated.  A  sudden  freshening  of  the  breeze  decided 
his  course.  Finding  that  the  ship  was  enabled  to 
keep  her  station,  he  ordered  the  crew  to  thrust  the 
whole  of  the  enormous  ropes  through  the  hawse- 
holes  ;  and,  freed  from  the  restraint,  he  abandoned 
the  anchors,  until  an  opportunity  to  reclaim  them 
should  offer. 

The  operation  of  slipping  the  cables  consumed 
several  minutes  ;  and  when  the  Coquette,  with 
every  thing  set,  was  again  steering  in  pursuit,  the 
Water-Witch  was  already  beyond  the  reach  of  her 
guns.  Both  vessels,  however,  held  on  their  way, 
keeping  as  near  as  possible  to  the  centre  of  the 
stream,  and  trusting  more  to  fortune,  than  to  any 
knowledge  of  the  channel,  for  safety. 

When  passing  the  two  small  islands  that  lie  at  no 

great  distance  from  the  Gate,  a  boat  was  seen  moving 

towards  the  royal  cruiser.    A  man  in  it  pointed  to 

the  signal,  which  was  still  flying,  and  offered  his 

ervices. 

"  Tell  me,"  demanded  Ludlow  eagerly,  "  has  yon 
der  brigantine  taken  a  pilot?" 

"  By  her  movements,  1  judge  not.  She  brushed 
the  sunken  rock,  off'  the  mouth  of  Flushing-bay  ; 
aad  as  she  passed,  I  heard  the  song  of  the  lead.  I 


408  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

should  have  gone  on  board  myself,  hut  the  fellow 
rather  flies  than  sails ;  and  as  for  signals,  he  seems 
to  mind  none  but  his  own ! " 

"  Bring  us  up  with  him,  and  fifty  guineas  is  thy 
reward ! " 

The  slow-moving  pilot,  who  in  truth  had  just  awoke 
from  a  refreshing  sleep,  opened  his  eyes,  and  seemed 
to  gather  a  new  impulse  from  the  promise.  When 
his  questions  were  asked  and  answered,  he  began 
deliberately  to  count  on  his  fingers  all  the  chances 
that  still  existed  of  a  vessel,  whose  crew  was  igno 
rant  of  the  navigation,  falling  into  their  hands. 

"  Admitting  that,  by  keeping  mid-channel,  she 
goes  clear  of  White  Stone  and  Frogs,"  he  said,  giving 
to  Throgmorton's  its  vulgar  name,  "  he  must  be  a 
wizard,  to  know  that  the  Stepping-Stones  lie  directly 
across  his  course,  and  that  a  vessel  must  steer  away 
northerly,  or  bring  up  on  rocks  that  will  as  surely 
hold  him  as  if  he  were  built  there.  Then  he  runs 
his  chance  for  the  Executioners,  which  are  as  pret 
tily  placed  as  needs  be,  to  make  our  trade  flourish , 
besides  the  Middle  Ground  further  east,  though  1 
count  but  little  on  that,  having  often  tried  to  find  it 
myself,  without  success.  Courage,  noble  captain !  if 
the  fellow  be  the  man  you  say,  we  shall  get  a  nearer 
look  at  him  before  the  sun  sets ;  for  certainly  he  who 
has  run  the  Gate  without  a  pilot  in  safety,  has  had 
as  much  good  luck  as  can  fall  to  his  share  in  one 
day." 

The  opinion  of  the  East  River  Branch  proved  er 
roneous.  Notwithstanding  the  hidden  perils  by  which 
she  was  environed,  the  Water- Witch  continued  her 
course,  with  a  speed  that  increased  as  the  wind  rose 
with  the  sun,  and  with  an  impunity  from  harm  that 
amazed  all  who  were  in  the  secret  of  her  situation. 
Off  Throgmorton's  there  was,  in  truth,  a  danger  that 
might  even  have  baffled  the  sagacity  of  the  followers 
of  the  mysterious  lady,  had  they  not  been  aided  by 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  409 

accident.  This  is  the  point  where  the  straitened 
arm  of  the  sea  expands  into  the  basin  of  the  Sound. 
A  broad  and  inviting  passage  lies  directly  before  the 
navigator,  while,  like  the  flattering  prospects  of  life, 
numberless  hidden  obstacles  are  in  wait  to  arrest  the 
unheeding  and  ignorant. 

The  *  Skimmer  of  the  Seas'  was  deeply  practised 
n  all  the  intricacies  and  dangers  of  the  shoals  and 
rocks.  Most  of  his  life  had  been  passed  in  threading 
the  one,  or  in  avoiding  the  other.  So  keen  and  quick 
had  his  eye  become,  in  detecting  the  presence  of  any 
of  those  signs  which  forewarn  the  mariner  of  danger, 
that  a  ripple  on  the  surface,  or  a  deeper  shade  in  the 
color  of  the  water,  rarely  escaped  his  vigilance. 
Seated  on  the  topsail-yard  of  his  brigantine,  he  had 
overlooked  the  passage  from  the  moment  they  were 
through  the  Gate,  and  issued  his  mandates  to  those 
below  with  a  precision  and  promptitude  that  were 
not  surpassed  by  the  trained  conductor  of  the  Co 
quette  himself.  But  when  his  sight  embraced  the 
wide  reach  of  water  that  lay  in  front,  as  his  little 
vessel  swept  round  the  head-land  of  Throgmorton, 
he  believed  there  no  longer  existed  a  reason  for  so 
much  care.  Still  there  was  a  motive  for  hesitation. 
A  heavily-moulded  and  dull-sailing  coaster  was  going 
eastward  not  a  league  ahead  of  the  brigantine,  while 
one  of  the  light  sloops  of  those  waters  was  coming 
westward  still  further  in  the  distance.  Notwithstand 
ing  the  wind  was  favorable  to  each  alike,  both  vessels 
had  deviated  from  the  direct  line,  and  were  steering 
towards  a  common  centre,  near  an  island  that  was 
placed  more  than  a  mile  to  the  northward  of  the 
straight  course.  A  mariner,  like  him  of  the  India- 
ehawl,  could  not  overlook  so  obvious  an  intimation  of 
a  change  in  the  channel.  The  Water- Witch  was 
kept  away,  and  her  lighter  sails  were  lowered,  in 
order  to  allow  the  royal  cruiser,  whose  lofty  canvas 
was  plainly  visible  above  the  land,  to  draw  near. 
2K 


410  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

When  the  Coquette  was  seen  also  to  diverge,  thert 
no  longer  remained  a  doubt  of  the  direction  necessary 
to  be  taken ;  and  every  thing  was  quickly  set  upon 
the  brigantine,  even  to  her  studding-sails..  Long 
ere  she  reached  the  island,  the  two  coasters  had  met 
and  each  again  changed  its  course,  reversing  tha 
on  which  the  other  had  just  been  sailing.  There 
was,  in  these  movements,  as  plain  an  explanation  a& 
a  seaman  could  desire,  that  the  pursued  were  right 
On  reaching  the  island,  therefore,  they  again  luffed 
into  the  wake  of  the  schooner ;  and  having  nearly 
crossed  the  sheet  of  water,  they  passed  the  coaster, 
receiving  an  assurance,  in  words,  that  all  was  now 
plain  sailing,  before  them. 

Such  was  the  famous  passage  of  the  '  Skimmer  of 
the  Seas'  through  the  multiplied  and  hidden  dangers 
of  the  eastern  channel.  To  those  who  have  thus  ac 
companied  him,  step  by  step,  though  its  intricacies 
and  alarms,  there  may  seem  nothing  extraordinary 
in  the  event ;  but,  coupled  as  it  was  with  the  char 
acter  previously  earned  by  that  bold  mariner,  and 
occurring,  as  it  did,  in  an  age  when  men  were  more 
disposed  than  at  present  to  put  faith  in  the  marvel 
lous,  the  reader  will  not  be  surprised  to  learn  that  it 
greatly  increased  his  reputation  for  daring,  and  had 
no  small  influence  on  an  opinion,  which  was  by  no 
means  uncommon,  that  the  dealers  in  contraband 
were  singularly  favored  by  a  power  which  greatly 
exceeded  that  of  Queen  Anne  and  all  her  servants. 


THE   WATER  WITCH.  41 1 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

"  —Thou  shall  see  me  at  Philippi." 

SHAKSPEARB 

THE  commander  of  Her  Britannic  Majesty's  ship 
Coquette  slept  that  night  in  the  hammock-cloths.  Be 
fore  the  sun  had  set,  the  light  and  swift  brigantine, 
by  following  the  gradual  bend  of  the  land,  had  dis 
appeared  in  the  eastern  board  ;  and  it  was  no  longer 
a  question  of  overtaking  her  by  speed.  Still,  sail 
was  crowded  on  the  royal  cruiser ;  and,  long  ere  the 
period  when  Ludlow  threw  himself  in  his  clothes  be 
tween  the  ridge-ropes  of  the  quarter-deck,  the  vessel 
had  gained  the  broadest  part  of  the  Sound,  and  was 
already  approaching  the  islands  that  form  the  *  Race.' 

Throughout  the  whole  of  that  long  and  anxious 
day,  the  young  sailor  had  held  no  communication 
with  the  inmates  of  the  cabin.  The  servants  of  the 
ship  had  passed  to  and  fro ;  but,  though  the  door  sel 
dom  opened  that  he  did  not  bend  his  eyes  feverishly 
in  its  direction,  neither  the  Alderman,  his  niece,  the 
captive,  nor  even  Francois  or  the  negress,  made  their 
appearance  on  the  deck.  If  any  there  felt  an  in 
terest  in  the  result  of  the  chase,  it  was  concealed  in 
a  profound  and  almost  mysterious  silence.  Deter 
mined  not  to  be  outdone  in  indifference,  and  goaded 
by  feelings  which  with  all  his  pride  he  could  not 
overcome,  our  young  seaman  took  possession  of  the 
place  of  rest  we  have  mentioned,  without  using  any 
measures  to  resume  the  intercourse. 

When  the  first  watch  of  the  night  was  come,  sail 
was  shortened  on  the  ship,  and  from  that  moment  till 
the  day  dawned  again,  her  captain  seemed  buried 
in  sleep.  With  the  appearance  of  the  sun,  however, 
he  arose,  and  commanded  the  canvas  to  be  spread, 


412 


THE    WATER-WITCH. 


once  more,  and  every  exertion  made  to  drive  the 
vessel  forward  to  her  object. 

The  Coquette  reached  the  Race  early  in  the  day, 
and,  shooting  through  the  passage  on  an  ebb-tide,  she 
was  off  Montauk  at  noon.  No  sooner  had  the  ship 
drawn  past  the  cape,  and  reached  a  point  where  she 
felt  the  breeze  and  the  waves  of  the  Atlantic,  than 
men  were  sent  aloft,  and  twenty  eyes  were  curiously 
employed  in  examining  the  offing.  Ludlow  remember 
ed  the  promise  of  the  Skimmer  to  meet  him  at  that 
spot,  and,  notwithstanding  the  motives  which  the  latter 
might  be  supposed  to  have  for  avoiding  the  interview 
so  great  was  the  influence  of  the  free-trader's  maL 
ner  and  character,  that  the  young  captain  enter 
tained  secret  expectations  the  promise  would  be  kept. 

"  The  offing  is  clear  !"  said  the  young  captain,  in 
a  tone  of  disappointment,  when  he  lowered  his  glass ; 
"  and  yet  that  rover  does  not  seem  a  man  to  hide  his 
head  in  fear " 

"  Fear — -that  is  to  say,  fear  of  a  Frenchman — and 
a  decent  respect  for  Her  Majesty's  cruisers,  are  very 
different  sorts  of  things,"  returned  the  master.  "  I 
never  got  a  bandanna,  or  a  bottle  of  your  Cogniac 
ashore,  in  my  life,  that  I  did  not  think  every  man 
that  I  passed  in  the  street,  could  see  the  spots  in  the 
one,  or  scent  the  flavor  of  the  other ;  but  then  I 
never  supposed  this  shyness  amounted  to  more  than 
a  certain  suspicion  in  my  own  mind,  that  other  peo 
ple  know  when  a  man  is  running  on  an  illegal  course. 
I  suppose  that  one  of  your  rectors,  who  is  snugly  an 
chored  for  life  in  a  good  warm  living,  would  call  this 
conscience ;  but,  for  my  own  part,  Captain  Ludlow, 
though  no  great  logician  in  matters  of  this  sort,  I 
have  always  believed  that  it  was  natural  concern  oJ 
mind  lest  the  articles  should  be  seized.  If  this  '  Skim 
mer  of  the  Seas'  comes  out  to  give  us  another  chase 
in  rough  water,  he  is  by  no  means  as  good  a  judge 
of  the  difference  between  a  large  and  a  small  vessel, 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  413 

as  I  had  thought  him — and  I  confess,  Sir,  I  should 
have  more  hopes  of  taking  him,  were  the  woman 
under  his  bowsprit  fairly  burnt." 

"The  offing  is  clear!" 

"  That  it  is,  with  a  show  of  the  wind  holding  here 
at  south-half-south.  This  bit  of  water  that  we  have 
passed,  between  yon  island  and  the  main,  is  lined 
with  bays ;  and  while  we  are  here  looking  out  for 
them  on  the  high  seas,  the  cunning  varlets  may  be 
trading  in  any  one  of  the  fifty  good  basins  that  lie 
between  the  cape  and  the  place  where  we  lost  him. 
For  aught  we  know,  he  may  have  run  westward 
again  in  the  night-watches,  and  be  at  this  moment 
feughing  in  his  sleeve  at  the  manner  in  which  he 
dodged  a  cruiser." 

"  There  is  too  much  truth  in  what  you  say,  Try 
sail  ;  for  if  the  Skimmer  be  now  disposed  to  avoid  us, 
he  has  certainly  the  means  in  his  power." 

"  Sail,  ho ! "  cried  the  look-out  on  the  main-top 
gallant-yard. 

"  Where-a-way  1 " 

"  Broad  on  the  weather-beam,  Sir;  here,  in  a  range 
with  the  light  cloud  that  is  just  lifting  from  the 
water." 

"  Can  you  make  out  the  rig  ?  " 

"  Tore  George,  the  fellow  is.  right ! "  interrupted 
the  master.    "  The  cloud  caused  her  to  be  unseen 
but  here  she  is,  sure  enough, — a  full-rigged  ship,  un 
der  easy  canvas,  with  her  head  to  the  westward !" 

The  look  of  Ludlow  through  the  glass  was  long, 
attentive,  and  grave. 

"We  are  weak-handed  to  deal  with  a  stranger;" 
ne  said,  when  he  returned  the  instrument  to  Trysail 
*  You  see  he  has  nothing  but  his  topsails  set, — a  show 
of  canvas  that  would  satisfy  no  trader,  in  a  breeze 
like  this!" 

The  master  was  silent,  but  his  look  was  even  lon 
ger  and  more  critical  than  that  of  his  captain.  When 
2K2 


414  TPE    WATER- WITGH. 

it  had  ended,  he  cast  a  cautious  glance  towards  th« 
diminished  crew,  who  were  curiously  regarding  the 
vessel  that  had  now  become  sufficiently  distinct  by  a 
change  in  the  position  of  the  cloud,  and  then  an 
swered,  in  an  under  tone : — 

"  'Tis  a  Frenchman,  or  I  am  a  whale !    One  may 
see  it,  by  his  short  yards,  and  the  hoist  of  his  sails 
ay,  and  'tis  a  cruiser,  too,   for  no  man  who  had  a 
profit  to  make  on  his  freight,  would  be  lying  there 
under  short  canvas,  and  his  port  within  a  day's  run." 

"  Your  opinion  is  my  own  ;  would  to  Heaven  our 
people  were  all  here !  This  is  but  a  short  comple 
ment  to  take  into  action  with  a  ship  whose  force 
seems  equal  to  our  own.  What  number  can  we 
count?" 

"  We  are  short  of  seventy, — a  small  muster  for 
four-and-twenty  guns,  with  yards  like  these  to  han 
dle." 

"  And  yet  the  port  may  not  be  insulted !  We  are 
known  to  be  on  this  coast " 

"  We  are  seen.!"  interrupted  the  master — "The 
fellow  has  worn  ship,  and  he  is  already  setting  his 
top-gallant-sails." 

There  no  longer  remained  any  choice  between 
downright  flight  and  preparations  for  combat.  The 
former  would  have  been  easy,  for  an  hour  would 
have  taken  the  ship  within  the  cape ;  but  the  latter 
was  far  more  in  consonance  with  the  spirit  of  the 
service  to  which  the  Coquette  belonged.  The  order 
was  therefore  given  for  "  all  hands  to  clear  ship  for 
action !"  It  was  in  the  reckless  nature  of  sailors,  to 
exult  in  this  summons ;  for  success  and  audacity  go 
hand  in  hand,  and  long  familiarity  with  the  first  had, 
even  at  that  early  day,  given  a  confidence  that  often 
approached  temerity  to  the  seamen  of  Great  Britain 
and  her  dependencies.  The  mandate  to  prepare  for 
battle  was  received  by  the  feeble  crew  of  the  Co- 
ouette,  as  it  had  often  been  received  before,  when 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  415 

ner  decks  were  filled  with  the  number  necessary  to 
give  full  efficiency  to  her  armament ;  though  a  few 
of  the  older  and  more  experienced  of  the  mariners, 
men  in  whom  confidence  had  been  diminished  by 
time,  were  seen  to  shake  their  heads,  as  if  they 
doubted  the  prudence  of  the  intended  contest. 

Whatever  might  have  been  the  secret  hesitation 
of  Ludlow  when  the  character  and  force  of  his  ene 
my  were  clearly  established,  he  betrayed  no  signs 
of  irresolution  from  the  moment  when  his  decision 
appeared  to  be  taken.  The  necessary  orders  were 
issued  calmly,  and  with  the  clearness  and  readiness 
that  perhaps  constitute  the  greatest  merit  of  a  naval 
captain.  The  yards  were  slung  in  chains ;  the  booms 
were  sent  down ;  the  lofty  sails  were  furled,  and,  in 
short,  all  the  preparations  that  were  then  customary 
were  made  with  the  usual  promptitude  and  skill. 
Then  the  drum  beat  to  quarters,  and  when  the  peo 
ple  were  at  their  stations,  their  young  commander 
had  a  better  opportunity  of  examining  into  the  true 
efficiency  of  his  ship.  Calling  to  the  master,  he  as 
cended  the  poop,  in  order  that  they  might  confer  to 
gether  with  less  risk  of  being  overheard,  and  at  the 
same  time  better  observe  the  manosuvres  of  the 
enemy. 

The  stranger  had,  as  Trysail  perceived,  suddenly 
worn  round  on  his  heel,  and  laid  his  head  to  the 
northward.  The  change  in  the  course  brought  him 
before  the  wind,  and,  as  he  immediately  spread  all 
the  canvas  that  would  draw,  he  was  approaching 
fast.  During  the  time  occupied  in  preparation  on 
board  the  Coquette,  his  hull  had  risen  as  it  were  from 
out  of  the  water ;  and  Ludlow  and  his  companion 
had  not  studied  his  appearance  long,  from  the  poop, 
before  the  streak  of  white  paint,  dotted  with  ports, 
which  marks  a  vessel  of  war,  became  visible  to  the 
naked  eye.  As  the  cruiser  of  Queen  Anne  continued 
<»lso  to  steer  in  the  direction  of  the  chase,  half  an 


416  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

hour  more  brought  them  sufficiently  near  to  each 
other,  to  remove  all  doubts  of  their  respective  chap 
acters  and  force.  The  stranger  then  came  to  the 
wind,  and  made  his  preparations  for  combat. 

"The  fellow  shows  a  stout  heart,  and  a  warm 
battery,"  observed  the  master,  when  the  broadside 
of  their  enemy  became  visible,  by  this  change  in  his 
position.  "  Six-and-twenty  teeth,  by  my  count ! 
though  the  eye-teeth  must  be  wanting,  or  he  would 
never  be  so  fool-hardy  as  to  brave  Queen  Anne's 
Coquette  in  this  impudent  fashion  !  A  prettily  turned 
boat,  Captain  Ludlow,  and  one  nimble  enough  m 
her  movements.  But  iook  at  his  topsails  !  Just  like 
his  character,  Sir,  all  hoist ;  and  with  little  or  no 
head  to  them.  I'll  not  deny  but  that  the  hull  is  well 
enough,  for  that  is  no  more  than  carpenter's  work ; 
but  when  it  comes  to  the  rig,  or  trim,  or  cut  of  a  sail, 
how  should  a  I'Orient  or  a  Brest  man  understand 
what  is  comely  ?  There  is  no  equalling,  after  all,  a 
good,  wholesome,  honest  English  topsail;  which  is 
neither  too  narrow  in  the  head,  nor  too  deep  in  the 
hoist ;  with  a  bolt-rope  of  exactly  the  true  size,  ro- 
bands  and  earings  and  bowlines  that  look  as  if  they 
grew  there,  and  sheets  that  neither  nature  nor  art 
could  alter  to  advantage.  Here  are  these  Americans, 
now,  making  innovations  in  ship-building,  and  in  the 
sparring  of  vessels,  as  if  any  thing  could  be  gained 
by  quitting  the  customs  and  opinions  of  their  ances 
tors  !  Any  man  may  see  that  all  they  have  about 
them,  that  is  good  for  any  thing,  is  English ;  while 
all  their  nonsense,  and  new-fangled  changes,  come 
from  their  own  vanity." 

"  They  get  along,  Master  Trysail,  notwithstand 
ing,"  returned  the  captain,  who,  though  a  sufficient 
ly  loyal  subject,  could  not  forget  his  birth-place ; 
"  and  many  is  the  time  this  ship,  one  of  the  finest 
models  of  Plymouth,  has  been  bothered  to  overhaul 
the  coasters  of  these  seas.  Here  is  the  brigantine, 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  417 

that  has  laughed  at  us,  on  our  best  tack,  and  with 
our  choice  of  wind." 

"  One  cannot  say  where  that  brigantine  was  built, 
Captain  Ludlow.  It  may  be  here,  it  may  be  there ; 
for  I  look  upon  her  as  a  nondescript,  as  old  Admiral 
Top  used  to  call  the  galliots  of  the  north  seas — but, 
concerning  these  new  American  fashions,  of  what  use 
are  they,  I  would  ask,  Captain  Ludlow  1  In  the  first 
place,  they  are  neither  English  nor  French,  which 
is  as  much  as  to  confess  they  are  altogether  outland 
ish  ;  in  the  second  place,  they  disturb  the  harmony 
and  established  usages  among  wrights  and  sail- 
makers,  and,  though  they  may  get  along  well  enough 
now,  sooner  or  later,  take  my  word  for  it,  they  will 
come  to  harm.  It  is  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  a 
new  people  can  discover  any  thing  in  the  construc 
tion  of  a  ship,  that  has  escaped  the  wisdom  of  sea 
men  as  old — the  Frenchman  is  cluing  up  his  top 
gallant-sails,  and  means  to  let  them  hang ;  which  is 
much  the  same  as  condemning  them  at  once, — and, 
thesefore,  I  am  of  opinion  that  all  these  new  fashions 
will  come  to  no  good." 

"  Your  reasoning  is  absolutely  conclusive,  Master 
Trysail."  returned  the  captain,  whose  thoughts  were 
differently  employed.  "  I  agree  with  you,  it  would 
be  safer  for  the  stranger  to  send  down  his  yards." 

"  There  is  something  manly  and  becoming  in  see 
ing  a  ship  strip  herself,  as  she  comes  into  action,  Sir ! 
It  is  like  a  boxer  taking  off  his  jacket,  with  the  in 
tention  of  making  a  fair  stand-up  fight  of  it. — That 
fellow  is  filling  away  again,  and  means  to  manoeuvre 
before  he  comes  up  fairly  to  his  work." 

The  eye  of  Ludlow  had  never  quitted  the  stranger. 
He  saw  that  the  moment  for  serious  action  was  not 
distant ;  and,  bidding  Trysail  keep  the  vessel  on  her 
course,  he  descended  to  the  quarter-deck.  For  a 
tingle  instant,  the  young  commander  paused  with  hia 


418  THE    WATER- WITGH. 

hand  on  the  door  of  the  cabin,  and  then,  overcoming 
his  reluctance,  he  entered  the  apartment. 

The  Coquette  was  built  after  a  fashion  much  in 
vogue  a  century  since,  and  which,  by  a  fickleness 
that  influences  marine  architecture  as  well  as  less 
important  things,  is  again  coming  into  use,  for  vessels 
of  her  force.  The  accommodations  of  the  command 
er  were  on  the  same  deck  with  the  batteries  of  the 
ship,  and  they  were  frequently  made  to  contain  two 
or  even  four  guns  of  the  armament.  When  Ludlow 
entered  his  cabin,  therefore,  he  found  a  crew  station 
ed  around  the  gun  which  was  placed  on  the  side  next 
the  enemy,  and  all  the  customary  arrangements 
made  which  precede  a  combat.  The  state-rooms 
abaft,  however,  as  well  as  the  little  apartment  which 
lay  between  them,  were  closed.  Glancing  his  eye 
about  him,  and  observing  the  carpenters  in  readi 
ness,  he  made  a  signal  for  them  to  knock  away  the 
bulk-heads,  and  lay  the  whole  of  the  fighting  part  of 
the  ship  in  common.  While  this  duty  was  going  on, 
he  entered  the  after-cabin. 

Alderman  Van  Beverout  and  his  companions  were 
found  together,  and  evidently  in  expectation  of  the 
visit  they  now  received.  Passing  coolly  by  the  for 
mer,  Ludlow  approached  his  niece,  and,  taking  her 
hand,  he  led  her  to  the  quarter-deck,  making  a  sign 
for  her  female  attendant  to  follow.  Descending  into 
the  depths  of  the  ship,  the  captain  conducted  his 
charge  into  a  part  of  the  berth-deck,  that  was  below 
the  water  line,  and  as  much  removed  from  danger 
as  she  could  well  be,  without  encountering  a  foul 
air,  or  sights  that  might  be  painful  to  one  of  her  sex 
and  habits. 

"  Here  is  as  much  safety  as  a  vessel  of  war  affords, 
in  a  moment  like  this,"  he  said,  when  his  companion 
was  silently  seated  on  a  mess-chest.  "On  no  ac 
count  quit  the  spot,  till  I — or  some  other,  advise  you 
it  may  be  done  without  hazard." 


THE   WATER- WITCH.  419 

Alida  had  submitted  to  be  led  thither,  without  a 
question.     Though  her  color  went  and  came,  she 
saw  the  little  dispositions  that  were  made  for  her 
comfort,  and  without  which,  even  at  that  moment, 
the  young  sailor  could  not  quit  her,  in  the  same 
silence.     But  when  they  were  ended,  and  her  con 
ductor  was  about  to  retire,  his  name  escaped  her 
lips,  by  an  exclamation  that  seemed  hurried  and  in 
voluntary. 

"Can  I  do  aught  else  to  quiet  your  apprehen 
sions  ?"  the  young  man  inquired,  though  he  studiously 
avoided  her  eye,  as  he  turned  to  put  the  question. 
"  I  know  your  strength  of  mind,  and  that  you  have  a 
resolution  which  exceeds  the  courage  of  your  sex ; 
else  I  would  not  venture  so  freely  to  point  out  the 
danger  which  may  beset  one,  even  here,  without  a 
self-command  and  discretion  that  shall  restrain  all 
sudden  impulses  of  fear." 

"  Notwithstanding  your  generous  interpretation 
of  my  character,  Ludlow,  I  am  but  woman  after 
all." 

"  I  did  not  mistake  you  for  an  amazon,"  returned 
the  young  man  smiling,  perceiving  that  she  checked 
her  words  by  a  sudden  effort.  "  All  I  expect  from 
you  is  the  triumph  of  reason  over  female  terror.  I 
shall  not  conceal  that  the  odds — perhaps  I  may  say 
that  the  chances,  are  against  us ;  and  yet  the  enemy 
must  pay  for  my  ship,  ere  he  has  her !  She  will  be 
none  the  worse  defended,  Alida,  from  the  conscious 
ness  that  thy  liberty  and  comfort  depend  in  some 
measure  on  our  exertions. — Would  you  say  more  ? " 

La  belle  Barberie  struggled  with  herself,  and  she 
became  calm,  at  least  in  exterior. 

"  There  has  been  a  singular  misconception  be 
tween  us,  and  yet  is  this  no  moment  for  explana 
tions  !  Ludlow,  I  would  not  have  you  part  with  me, 
at  such  a  time  as  this,  with  that  cold  und  reproachful 
eye!" 


420 


THE    WATER-WITCH. 


She  paused.  When  the  young  man  ventured  to 
raise  his  look,  he  saw  the  beautiful  girl  standing  w.th 
a  hand  extended  towards  him,  as  if  offering  a  pledge 
of  amity;  while  the  crimson  on  her  cheek,  and  her 
yielding  but  half-averted  eye,  spoke  with  the  elo 
quence  of  maiden  modesty.  Seizing  the  hand,  he 
answered,  hastily — 

"  Time  was,  when  this  action  would  have  mad<i 
me  happy " 

The  young  man  paused,  for  his  gaze  had  uncon 
sciously  become  riveted  on  the  rings  of  the  hand  he 
held.  Alida  understood  the  look,  and,  drawing  one 
of  the  jewels,  she  offered  it  with  a  smile  that  was  as 
attractive  as  her  beauty. 

"  One  of  these  may  be  spared,"  she  said.  "  Take 
it,  Ludlow ;  and  when  thy  present  duty  shall  be  per 
formed,  return  it,  as  a  gage  that  I  have  promised 
thee  that  no  explanation  which  you  may  have  a 
right  to  ask  shall  be  withheld." 

The  young  man  took  the  ring,  and  forced  it  on  the 
smallest  of  his  fingers,  in  a  mechanical  manner,  and 
with  a  bewildered  look,  that  seemed  to  inquire  if 
some  one  of  those  which  remained  was  not  the  token 
of  a,  plighted  faith.  It  is  probable  that  he  might 
have  continued  the  discourse,  had  not  a  gun  been 
fired  from  the  enemy.  It  recalled  him  to  the  more 
serious  business  of  the  hour.  Already  more  than 
half  disposed  to  believe  all  he  could  wish,  he  raised 
the  fair  hand,  which  had  just  bestowed  the  boon,  to 
his  lips,  and  rushed  upon  deck. 

"  The  Monsieur  is  beginning  to  bluster ; "  said  Try 
sail,  who  had  witnessed  the  descent  of  his  command 
er,  at  that  moment  and  on  such  an  errand,  with 
great  dissatisfaction.  "  Although  his  shot  fell  short, 
it  is  too  much  to  let  a  Frenchman  have  the  credit  ot 
the  first  word." 

"  He  has  merely  given  the  weather  gun,  the  signa! 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  421 

of  defiance.  Let  him  come  down,  and  he  will  not 
find  us  in  a  hurry  to  leave  him  ! " 

"  No,  no :  as  for  that,  we  are  snug  enough ! "  re 
turned  the  master,  chuckling  as  he  surveyed  the 
half-naked  spars,  and  the  light  top-hamper,  to  which 
he  had  himself  reduced  the  ship.  "  If  running  is  to 
be  our  play,  we  have  made  a  false  move  at  the  be 
ginning  of  the  game.  These  topsails,  spanker,  and 
jib,  make  a  show  that  says  more  for  bottom  than  for 
speed.  Well,  come  what  will  of  this  affair,  it  will 
leave  me  a  master,  though  it  is  beyond  the  power  of 
the  best  duke  in  England  to  rob  me  of  my  share  of 
the  honor!" 

With  this  consolation  for  his  perfectly  hopeless 
condition  as  respects  promotion,  the  old  seaman 
walked  forward,  examining  critically  into  the  state 
of  the  vessel ;  while  his  young  commander,  having 
cast  a  look  about  him,  motioned  to  his  prisoner  and 
the  Alderman  to  follow  to  the  poop. 

"  I  do  not  pretend  to  inquire  into  the  nature  of  the 
tie  which  unites  you  with  some  in  this  ship,"  Ludlow 
commenced,  addressing  his  words  to  Seadrift,  though 
he  kept  his  gaze  on  the  recent  gift  of  Alida ;  "  but, 
that  it  must  be  strong,  is  evident  by  the  interest  they 
have  taken  in  your  fate.  One  who  is  thus  esteemed 
should  set  a  value  on  himself.  How  far  you  have 
trifled  with  the  laws,  I  do  not  wish  to  say ;  but  here 
is  an  opportunity  to  redeem  some  of  the  public  favor. 
You  are  a  seaman,  and  need  not  be  told  that  my  ship 
is  not  as  strongly  manned  as  one  could  wish  her  at 
this  moment,  and  that  the  services  of  every  English 
man  will  be  welcome.  Take  charge  of  these  six 
guns,  and  depend  on  my  honor  that  your  devotion  to 
the  flag  shall  not  go  unrequited." 

"  You  much  mistake  my  vocation,  noble  captain ;" 

returned  the  dealer  in  contraband,  faintly  laughing. 

"  Though  one  of  the  seas,  lam  one  more  used  to  the 

calm  latitudes  than  to  these  whirlwinds  of  war    You 

21 


422  THE   WATER-WITCH. 

have  visited  the  origantine  of  our  mistress,  and  must 
have  seen  that  her  temple  resembles  that  of  Janus 
more  than  that  of  Mars.  The  deck  of  the  Wp.ter- 
Witch  has  none  of  this  frowning  garniture  of  artil 
lery." 

Ludlow  listened  in  amazement.  Surprise,  incre 
dulity,  and  scorn,  were  each,  in  turn,  expressed  in 
his  frowning  countenance. 

"  This  is  unbecoming  language  for  one  of  your 
calling,"  he  said,  scarce  deeming  it  necessary  to  con 
ceal  the  contempt  he  felt.  "  Do  you  acknowledge 
fealty  to  this  ensign — are  you  an  Englishman  ?" 

"  I  am  such  as  Heaven  was  pleased  to  make  me — 
fitter  for  the  zephyr,  than  the  gale — the  jest,  than 
the  war-shout — the  merry  moment,  than  the  angry 
mood." 

"  Is  this  the  man  whose  name  for  daring  has  passed 
into  a  proverb? — the  dauntless,  reckless,  skilful  *  Skim  • 
mer  of  the  Seas!": 

"  North  is  not  more  removed  from  south,  than  I 
from  him  in  the  qualities  you  seek !  It  was  not  my 
duty  to  undeceive  you  as  to  the  value  of  your  cap 
tive,  while  he  whose  services  are  beyond  price  to  our 
mistress  was  still  on  the  coast.  So  far  from  being 
him  you  name,  brave  captain,  I  claim  to  be  no  more 
than  one  of  his  agents,  who,  having  some  experience 
in  the  caprices  of  woman,  he  trusts  to  recommend 
his  wares  to  female  fancies.  Though  so  useless  in 
inflicting  injuries,  I  may  make  bold  however  to  rate 
myself  as  excellent  at  consolation.  Suffer  that  I  ap 
pease  the  fears  of  la  belle  Barberie  during  the  com 
ing  tumult,  and  you  shall  own  that  one  more  skilful 
in  that  merciful  office  is  rare  indeed !" 

"  Comfort  whom,  where,  and  what  thou  wilt,  mis 
erable  effigy  of  manhood ! — but  hold,  there  is  less 
of  terror  than  of  artifice  in  that  lurking  smile  and 
•reacherouseye!" 

"  Discredit  both,  generous  captain !  On  the  faith 


THE   WATER-WITCH.  423 

of  one  who  can  be  sincere  at  need,  a  wholesome  fear 
is  uppermost,  whatever  else  the  disobedient  members 
may  betray.  I  could  fain  weep  rather  than  be 
thought  valiant,  just  now  L" 

Ludlow  listened  in  wonder.  He  had  raised  an 
arm  to  arrest  the  retreat  of  the  young  mariner,  and 
by  a  natural  movement  his  hand  slid  along  the  limb 
it  had  grasped,  until  it  held  that  of  Seadrift.  The 
instant  he  touched  the  soft  and  ungloved  palm,  an 
idea,  as  novel  as  it  was  sudden,  crossed  his  brain. 
Retreating  a  step  or  two,  he  examined  the  light  and 
agile  form  of  the  other,  from  head  to  feet.  The 
frown  of  displeasure,  which  had  clouded  his  brow, 
changed  to  a  look  of  unfeigned  surprise ;  and  for  the 
first  time,  the  tones  of  the  voice  came  over  his  recol 
lection  as  being  softer  and  more  melodious  than  is 
wont  in  man. 

"  Truly,  thou  art  not  the  «  Skimmer  of  the  Seas !' " 
he  exclaimed,  when  his  short  examination  was  ended. 

"No  truth  more  certain.  I  am  one  of  little  ac 
count  in  this  rude  encounter,  though,  were  that 
gallant  seaman  here,"  and  the  color  deepened  on  the 
cheeks  of  Seadrift  as  he  spoke,  "  his  arm  and  counsel 
might  prove  a  host !  Oh !  I  have  seen  him  in  scenes 
far  more  trying  than  this,  when  the  elements  have 
conspired  with  other  dangers.  The  example  of  his 
steadiness  and  spirit  has  given  courage  even  to  the 
feeblest  heart  in  the  brigantine !  Now,  suffer  me  t 
offer  consolation  to  the  timid  Alida." 

"  I  should  little  merit  her  gratitude,  were  the  request 
refused,"  returned  Ludlow.  "Go,  gay  and  gallant 
Master  Seadrift !  if  the  enemy  fears  thy  presence 
on  the  deck  as  little  as  I  dread  it  with  la  belle  Bar- 
berie,  thy  services  here  will  be  useleas!" 

Seadrift  colored  to  the  temples,  crossed  his  ar.ns 
meekly  on  his  bosom,  sunk  in  an  attitude  of  leave- 
taking,  that  was  so  equivocal  as  to  cause  the  attentive 


424  THE   WATER-WITCH. 

and  critical  young  captain  to  smile,  and  then  glided 
past  him  and  disappeared  through  a  hatchway. 

The  eye  of  Ludlow  followed  the  active  and  grace 
ful  form,  while  it  continued  in  sight ;  and  when  it 
was  no  longer  visible,  he  faced  the  Alderman  with  a 
look  which  seemed  to  inquire  how  far  he  might  be 
acquainted  with  the  true  character  of  the  individual 
who  had  been  the  cause  of  so  much  pain  to  himself. 

"  Have  I  done  well,  Sir,  in  permitting  a  subject 
of  Queen  Anne  to  quit  us  at  this  emergency?"  he 
demanded,  observing  that  either  the  phlegm  or  the 
self-command  of  Myndert  rendered  him  proof  to 
scrutiny. 

"  The  lad  may  be  termed  contraband  of  war,"  re 
turned  the  Alderman,  without  moving  a  muscle ;  "an 
article  that  will  command  a  better  price  in  a  quiet 
than  in  a  turbulent  market.  In  short,  Captain  Cor 
nelius  Ludlow,  this  Master  Seadrift  will  not  answer 
thy  purpose  at  all  in  combat." 

"  And  is  this  example  of  heroism  to  go  any  farther, 
or  may  I  count  on  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Alderman 
Van  Beverout? — He  has  the  reputation  of  a  loyal 
citizen." 

"  As  for  loyalty,"  returned  the  Alderman,  "  so  far 
as  saying  God  bless  the  Queen,  at  city  feasts,  will  go, 
none  are  more  so.  A  wish  is  not  an  expensive  return 
for  the  protection  of  her  fleets  and  armies,  and  I 
wish  her  and  you  success  against  the  enemy,  with 
all  my  heart.  But  I  never  admired  the  manner  in 
which  the  States  General  were  dispossessed  of  their 
territories  on  this  continent,  Master  Ludlow,  and 
therefore  I  pay  the  Stuarts  little  more  than  I  owe 
hem  in  law." 

"  Which  is  as  much  as  to  say,  that  you  will  join 
he  gay  smuggler,  in  administering  consolation  to  one 
whose  spirit  places  her  above  the  need  of  such  suc 
cor." 

"  Not  so  fast,  young  gentleman. — We  mercantile 


THE   WATER-WITCH.  425 

men  like  to  see  offsets  in  our  books,  before  they  are 
balanced.  Whatever  may  be  my  opinion  of  the 
reigning  family,  which  I  only  utter  to  you  in  confi 
dence,  and  not  as  coin  that  is  to  pass  from  one  to  an 
other,  my  love  for  the  Grand  Monarque  is  still  less. 
Louis  is  at  loggerheads  with  the  United  Provinces, 
as  well  as  with  our  gracious  Queen ;  and  I  see  no 
harm  in  opposing  one  of  his  cruisers,  since  they  cer 
tainly  annoy  trade,  and  render  returns  for  invest 
ments  inconveniently  uncertain.  I  have  heard  artil 
lery  in  my  time,  having  in  my  younger  days  led  a 
band  of  city  volunteers  in  many  a  march  and  coun 
termarch  around  the  Bowling-Green ;  and  for  the 
honor  of  the  second  ward  of  the  good  town  of  Man 
hattan,  I  am  now  ready  to  undertake  to  show,  that 
all  knowledge  of  the  art  has  not  entirely  departed 
from  me." 

"  That  is  a  manly  answer,  and,  provided  it  be  sus 
tained  by  a  corresponding  countenance,  there  shall 
be  no  impertinent  inquiry  into  motives.  'Tis  the 
officer  that  makes  the  ship  victorious ;  for,  when  he 
sets  a  good  example  and  understands  his  duty,  there 
is  little  fear  of  the  men.  Choose  your  position  among 
any  of  these  guns,  and  we  will  make  an  effort  to  dis 
appoint  yon  servants  of  Louis,  whether  we  do  it  as 
Englishmen,  or  only  as  the  allies  of  the  Seven  Prov 
inces." 

Myndert  descended  to  the  quarter-deck,  and  hav 
ing  deliberately  deposited  his  coat  on  the  Capstan, 
replaced  his  wig  by  a  handkerchief,  and  tightened  the 
buckle  that  did  the  office  of  suspenders,  he  squinted 
along  the  guns,  with  a  certain  air  that  served  to  as- 
ure  the  spectators  he  had  at  least  no  dread  of  the 
ecoil. 

Alderman  Van  Beverout  was  a  personage  far  too 

important,  not  to  be  known  by  most  of  those  who 

frequented  the  goodly  town  of  which  he  was  a  civic 

officer.  His  presence,  therefore,  among  the  men,  not 

2L2 


426  THE    WATER-WITCH 

a  few  of  whom  were  natives  of  the  colony,  had  a  salu« 
tary  effect ;  some  yielding  to  the  sympathy  which  is 
natural  to  a  hearty  and  encouraging  example,  while 
it  is  possible  there  were  a  few  that  argued  less  of  the 
danger,  in  consequence  of  the  indifference  of  a  man 
who,  heing  so  rich,  had  so  many  motives  to  take  good 
care  of  his  person.  Be  this  as  it  might,  the  burgher 
was  received  by  a  cheer  which  drew  a  short  but 
pithy  address  from  him,  in  which  he  exhorted  his 
companions  in  arms  to  do  their  duty,  in  a  manner 
which  should  teach  the  Frenchmen  the  wisdom  of 
leaving  that  coast  in  future  free  from  annoyance; 
while  he  wisely  abstained  from  all  the  commonplace 
allusions  to  king  and  country, — a  subject  to  which  he 
felt  his  inability  to  do  proper  justice. 

"  Let  every  man  remember  that  cause  for  courage, 
which  may  be  most  agreeable  to  his  own  habits  and 
opinions,"  concluded  this  imitator  of  the  Hannibals 
and  Scipios  of  old ;  "  for  that  is  the  surest  and  the 
briefest  method  of  bringing  his  mind  into  an  obsti 
nate  state.  In  my  own  case,  there  is  no  want  of  mo 
tive  ;  and  I  dare  say  each  one  of  you  may  find  some 
sufficient  reason  for  entering  heart  and  hand  into 
this  battle.  Protests  and  credit !  what  would  become 
of  the  affairs  of  the  best  house  in  the  colonies,  were 
its  principal  to  be  led  a  captive  to  Brest  or  1'Orient? 
It  might  derange  the  business  of  the  whole  city.  I'll 
not  offend  your  patriotism  with  such  a  supposition, 
but  at  once  believe  that  your  minds  are  resohed, 
like  my  own,  to  resist  to  the  last ;  for  this  is  an  inter 
est  which  is  general,  as  all  questions  of  a  commercial 
nature  become,  through  their  influence  on  the  hap 
piness  and  prosperity  of  society." 

Having  terminated  his  address  in  RO  apposite  and 
public-spirited  a  manner,  the  worthy  burgher  hem 
med  loudly,  and  resumed  his  accustorrc}d  silence,  per 
fectly  assured  of  his  own  applause.  If  the  matter  of 
Myndert's  discourse  wears  too  much  the  air  of  an  u«i- 


THE   WATER-WITCH.  427 

vided  attention  to  his  own  interests,  the  reader  will 
not  forget  it  is  by  this  concentration  of  individuality 
that  most  of  the  mercantile  prosperity  of  the  world 
is  achieved.  The  seamen  listened  with  admiration, 
for  they  understood  no  part  of  the  appeal ;  and,  next 
to  a  statement  which  shall  be  so  lucid  as  to  induce 
every  hearer  to  believe  it  is  no  more  than  a  happy 
explanation  of  his  own  ideas,  that  which  is  unintelli 
gible  is  apt  to  unite  most  suffrages  in  its  favor. 

"  You  see  your  enemy,  and  you  know  your  work  I9' 
said  the  clear,  deep,  manly  voice  of  Ludlow,  who,  as 
he  passed  among  the  people  of  the  Coquette,  spoke 
to  them  in  that  steady  unwavering  tone  which,  in 
moments  of  danger,  goes  to  the  heart.  "  I  shall  not 
pretend  that  we  are  as  strong  as  I  could  wish ;  but 
the  greater  the  necessity  for  a  strong  pull,  the  rea 
dier  a  true  seaman  will  be  to  give  it.  There  are  no 
nails  in  that  ensign.  When  I  am  dead,  you  may  pull 
it  down  if  you  please ;  but,  so  long  as  I  live,  my  men, 
there  it  shall  fly  !  And  now,  one  cheer  to  show  your 
humor,  and  then  let  the  rest  of  your  noise  come  from 
the  guns." 

The  crew  complied,  with  a  full-mouthed  and 
hearty  hurrah ! — Trysail  assured  a  young,  laughing, 
careless  midshipman,  who  even  at  that  moment  could 
enjoy  an  uproar,  that  he  had  seldom  heard  a  prettier 
piece  of  sea-eloquence  than  that  which  had  just 
fallen  from  the  captain;  it  being  both  'neat  and 
gentleman-like. 


428  THE    WATER-WITCH. 


CHAPTEE  XXX. 

"  Sir,  it  is 

A  charge  too  heavy  for  my  strength;  but  yet 
We'll  strive  to  bear  it  for  your  worthy  sake, 
To  the  extreme  edge  of  hazard." 

ALL'S  WELL  THAT  END'S  WELL. 

THE  vessel,  which  appeared  so  inopportunely  for 
the  safety  of  the  ill-manned  British  cruiser,  was,  in 
truth,  a  ship  that  had  roved  from  among  the  islands 
of  the  Caribean  sea,  in  quest  of  some  such  adventure 
as  that  which  now  presented  itself.  She  was  called 
la  belle  Fontange,  and  her  commander,  a  youth  of 
two-and-twenty,  was  already  well  known  in  the 
salons  of  the  Marais,  and  behind  the  walls  of  the 
Rue  Basse  des  Remparts,  as  one  of  the  most  gay  and 
amiable  of  those  who  frequented  the  former,  and 
one  of  the  most  spirited  and  skilful  among  the  ad 
venturers  who  sometimes  trusted  to  their  address  in 
the  latter.  Rank,  and  influence  at  Versailles,  had 
procured  for  the  young  Chevalier  Dumont  de  la 
Rocheforte  a  command  to  which  he  could  lay  no 
claim  either  by  his  experience  or  his  services.  His 
mother,  a  near  relative  of  one  of  the  beauties  of  the 
court,  had  been  commanded  to  use  sea-bathing,  as  a 
preventive  against  the  consequences  of  the  bite  of  a 
rabid  lap-dog.  By  way  of  a  suitable  episode  to  the 
long  descriptions  she  was  in  the  daily  habit  of  writing 
to  those  whose  knowledge  of  her  new  element  was 
limited  to  the  constant  view  of  a  few  ponds  and 
ditches  teeming  with  carp,  or  an  occasional  glimpse 
of  some  of  the  turbid  reaches  of  the  Seine,  she  had 
vowed  to  devote  her  youngest  child  to  Neptune !  In 
due  time,  that  is  to  say,  while  the  poetic  sentiment 
was  at  the  access,  the  young  chevalier  was  duly  en 
rolled  and,  in  a  time  that  greatly  anticipated  all 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  429 

tegular  and  judicious  preferment,  he  was  placed  in 
command  of  the  corvette  in  question,  and  sent  to 
the  Indies  to  gain  glory  for  himself  and  his  country. 

The  Chevalier  Dumont  de  la  Rocheforte  was 
brave,  but  his  courage  was  not  the  calm  and  silent 
self-possession  of  a  seaman.  Like  himself,  it  was 
lively,  buoyant,  thoughtless,  bustling,  and  full  of 
animal  feeling.  He  had  all  the  pride  of  a  gentleman, 
and,  unfortunately  for  the  duty  which  he  had  now 
for  the  first  time  to  perform,  one  of  its  dictates  taught 
him  to  despise  that  species  of  mechanical  knowledge 
which  it  was,  just  at  this  moment,  so  important  to 
the  commander  of  la  Fontange  to  possess.  He  could 
dance  to  admiration,  did  the  honors  of  his  cabin  with 
faultless  elegance,  and  had  caused  the  death  of  an 
excellent  mariner,  who  had  accidentally  fallen  over 
board,  by  jumping  into  the  sea  to  aid  him,  without 
knowing  how  to  swim  a  stroke  himself, — a  rashness 
that  had  diverted  those  exertions  which  might  have 
saved  the  unfortunate  sailor,  from  the  assistance  of 
the  subordinate  to  the  safety  of  his  superior.  He 
wrote  sonnets  prettily,  and  had  some  ideas  of  the 
new  philosophy  whhll  was  just  beginning  to  dawn 
upon  the  world ;  but  the  cordage  of  his  ship,  and  the 
lines  of  a  mathematical  problem,  equally  presented 
labyrinths  he  had  never  threaded. 

It  was  perhaps  fortunate  for  the  safety  of  all  in 
her,  that  la  belle  Fontange  possessed  an  inferior  offi 
cer,  in  the  person  of  a  native  of  Boulogne-sur-Mer, 
who  was  quite  competent  to  see  that  she  kept  the 
proper  course,  and  that  she  displayed  none  of  the 
top-gallants  of  her  pride,  at  unpropitious  moments. 
The  ship  itself  was  sufficiently  and  finely  moulded 
of  a  light  and  airy  rig,  and  of  established  reputation 
for  speed.  If  it  was  defective  in  any  thing,  it  had 
the  fault,  in  common  with  its  commander,  of  a  want 
G*  sufficient  solidity  to  resist  the  vicissitudes  and 


430  THE   WATER- WITCH. 

dangers  of  the  turbulent  element  on  which  it  was 
destined  to  act. 

^  The  vessels  were  now  within  a  mile  of  each  other. 
The  breeze  was  steady,  and  sufficiently  fresh  for  all 
the  ordinary  evolutions  of  a  naval  combat ;  while  the 
water  was  just  quiet  enough  to  permit  the  ships  to 
be  handled  with  confidence  and  accuracy.  La  Fon 
tange  was  running  with  her  head  to  the  eastward, 
and,  as  she  had  the  advantage  of  the  wind,  her  tall 
tracery  of  spars  leaned  gently  in  the  direction  of  her 
adversary.  The  Coquette  was  standing  on  the  other 
tack,  and  necessarily  inclined  from  her  enemy.  Both 
vessels  were  stripped  to  their  topsails,  spankers,  and 
jibs,  though  the  lofty  sails  of  the  Frenchman  were  flut 
tering  in  the  breeze,  like  the  graceful  folds  of  some 
fanciful  drapery.  No  human  being  was  distinctly 
visible  in  either  fabric,  though  dark  clusters  around 
each  mast-head  showed  that  the  ready  top-men  were 
prepared  to  discharge  their  duties,  even  in  the  con 
fusion  and  dangers  of  the  impending  contest.  Once 
or  twice,  la  Fontange  inclined  her  head  more  in  the 
direction  of  her  adversary ;  and  then,  sweeping  up 
again  to  the  wind,  she  stood%n  in  stately  beauty. 
The  moment  was  near  when  the  ships  were  about 
to  cross  each  other,  at  a  point  where  a  musket  would 
readily  send  its  messenger  across  the  water  that  lay 
between  them.  Ludlow,  who  closely  watched  each 
change  of  position,  and  every  rise  and  fall  of  the 
breeze,  went  on  the  poop,  and  swept  the  horizon  with 
his  glass,  for  the  last  time  before  his  ship  should  be 
enveloped  in  smoke.  To  his  surprise,  he  discovered 
a  pyramid  of  canvas  rising  above  the  sea,  in  the  di- 

ection  of  the  wind.  The  sail  was  clearly  visible  to 
he  naked  eye,  and  had  only  escaped  earlier  observa 
tion  in  the  duties  of  so  urgent  a  moment.  Calling 
the  master  to  his  side,  he  inquired  his  opinion  con 
cerning  the  character  of  the  second  stranger.  But 
Trysail  confessed  it  exceeded  even  his  long-tried  pow- 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  43 

ers  of  observation  to  say  more  than  that  it  was  8 
ship  running  before  the  wind,  with  a  cloud  of  sai, 
spread.  After  a  second  and  a  longer  look,  however, 
the  experienced"  master  ventured  to  add  that  the 
stranger  had  the  squareness  and  symmetry  of  a  cruiser 
but  of  what  size  he  would  not  yet  presume  to  de 
clare. 

"  It  may  be  a  light  ship,  under  her  top-gallant  and 
studding-sails,  or  it  may  be,  that  we  see  only  the  lofty 
duck  of  some  heavier  vessel,  Captain  Ludlow ; — ha  ! 
he  has  caught  the  eye  of  the  Frenchman,  for  the  cor 
vette  has  signals  abroad !" 

"  To  your  glass ! — If  the  stranger  answer,  we  have 
no  choice  but  our  speed." 

There  was  another  keen  and  anxious  examina 
tion  of  the  upper  spars  of  the  distant  ship,  but  the 
direction  of  the  wind  prevented  any  signs  of  her 
communicating  with  the  corvette  from  being  visible. 
La  Fontange  appeared  equally  uncertain  of  the  char 
acter  of  the  stranger,  and  for  a  moment  there  was 
some  evidence  of  an  intention  to  change  her  course. 
But  the  moment  for  indecision  had  past.  The  ships 
were  already  sweeping  up  abreast  of  each  other, 
under  the  constant  pressure  of  the  breeze. 

"  Be  ready,  men  !"  said  Ludlow,  in  a  low  but  firm 
voice,  retaining  his  elevated  post  on  the  poop,  while 
he  motioned  to  his  companion  to  return  to  the  main- 
deck.  "  Fire  at  his  flash  !" 

Intense  expectation  succeeded.  The  two  graceful 
fabrics  sailed  steadily  on,  and  came  within  hail.  So 
profound  was  the  stillness  in  the  Coquette,  that  the 
rushing  sound  of  the  water  she  heaped  under  her 
bows  was  distinctly  audible  to  all  on  board,  and  might 
be  likened  to  the  deep  breathing  of  some  vast  animal, 
that  was  collecting  its  physical  energies  for  some  un 
usual  exertion.  On  the  other  hand,  tongues  were  loud 
and  clamorous  among  the  cordage  of  la  Fontange. 
Just  as  the  ships  were  fairly  abeam,  the  voice  of 


432  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

young  Dumont  was  heard,  shouting  through  a  trum 
pet,  for  his  men  to  fire.  Ludlow  smiled,  in  a  seaman's 
scorn.  Raising  his  own  trumpet,  with  a  quiet  gesture 
to  his  attentive  and  ready  crew,  the  whole  discharge 
of  their  artillery  broke  out  of  the  dark  side  of  the 
ship,  as  if  it  had  been  by  the  volition  of  the  fabric. 
The  answering  broadside  was  received  almost  as  soon 
as  their  own  had  been  given,  and  the  two  vessels 
passed  swiftly  without  the  line  of  shot. 

The  wind  had  sent  back  their  own  smoke  upon  the 
English,  and  for  a  time  it  floated  on  their  decks, 
wreathed  itself  in  the  eddies  of  the  sails,  and  passed 
away  to  leeward,  with  the  breeze  that  succeeded  to 
the  counter-current  of  the  explosions.  The  whistling 
of  shot,  and  the  crash  of  wood,  had  been  heard  amid 
the  din  of  the  combat.  Giving  a  glance  at  his  enemy, 
who  still  stood  on,  Ludlow  leaned  from  the  poop,  and, 
with  all  a  sailor's  anxiety,  he  endeavored  to  scan  the 
gear  aloft. 

"  What  is  gone,  Sir?"  he  asked  of  Trysail,  whose 
earnest  face  just  then  became  visible  through  the 
drifting  smoke.  "  What  sail  is  so  heavily  flapping  1 " 

"  Little  harm  done,  Sir — little  harm — bear  a  hand 
with  the  tackle  on  that  fore-yard-arm,  you  lubbers ! 
you  move  like  snails  in  a  minuet !  The  fellow  has 
shot  away  the  lee  fore-top-sail-sheet,  Sir;  but  we 
shall  soon  get  our  wings  spread  again.  Lash  it  down, 
boys,  as  if  it  were  butt-bolted ; — so ;  steady  out  your 
bowline,  forward. — Meet  her,  you  can;  meet  her, 
you  may — meet  her  !" 

The  smoke  had  disappeared,  and  the  eye  of  the 
captain  rapidly  scanned  the  whole  of  his  ship.  Three 
or  four  top-men  had  already  caught  the  flapping 
canvas,  and  were  seated  on  the  extremity  of  the 
fore-yard,  busied  in  securing  their  prize.  A  hole  of 
two  was  visible  in  the  other  sails,  and  here  ano 
there  an  unimportant  rope  was  dangling  in  a  manner 
to  show  that  it  had  been  cut  by  shot.  Further  than 


THE   WATER-WITCH.  433 

this,  the  damage  aloft  was  not  of  a  nature  to  attract 
his  attention. 

There  was  a  different  scene  on  deck.  The  feeble 
crew  were  earnestly  occupied  in  loading  the  guns, 
and  rammers  and  spunges  were  handled,  with  all 
the  intenseness  which  men  would  manifest  in  a  mo 
ment  so  exciting.  The  Alderman  was  never  more 
absorbed  in  his  leger  than  he  now  appeared  in  his 
duty  of  a  cannoneer ;  and  the  youths,  to  whom  the 
command  of  the  batteries  had  necessarily  been  con 
fided,  diligently  aided  him  with  their  greater  author 
ity  and  experience.  Trysail  stood  near  the  capstan, 
coolly  giving  the  orders  which  have  been  related, 
and  gazing  upward  with  an  interest  so  absorbed  as 
to  render  him  unconscious  of  all  that  passed  around 
his  person.  Ludlow  saw,  with  pain,  that  blood  dis 
colored  the  deck  at  his  feet,  and  that  a  seaman  lay 
dead  within  reach  of  his  arm.  The  rent  plank  and 
shattered  ceiling  showed  the  spot  where  the  destruc 
tive  missile  had  entered. 

Compressing  his  lips  like  a  man  resolved,  the  com 
mander  of  the  Coquette  bent  further  forward,  and 
glanced  at  the  wheel.  The  quarter-master,  who 
held  the  spokes,  was  erect,  steady,  and  kept  his  eye 
on  the  leech  of  the  head-sail,  as  unerringly  as  the 
needle  points  to  the  pole. 

These  were  the  observations  of  a  single  minute. 
The  different  circumstances  related  had  been  ascer 
tained  with  so  many  rapid  glances  of  the  eye,  and 
they  had  even  been  noted  without  losing  for  a  mo 
ment  the  knowledge  of  the  precise  situation  of  la 
Fontange.  The  latter  was  already  in  stays.  It  be 
came  necessary  to  meet  the  evolution  by  another  as 
prompt. 

The  order  was  no  sooner  given,  than  the  Coquette, 

as  if  conscious  of  the  hazard  she  ran  of  being  raked, 

whirled  away  from  the  wind,  and,  by  the  time  her 

adversary  was  ready  to  deliver  her  other  broadside 

2M 


434  THE    WATER-WITCH 

Bshe  was  in  a  position  to  receive  and  to  return  it 
Again  the  ships  approached  each  other,  and  once 
more  they  exchanged  their  streams  of  fire  when 
abeam. 

Ludlow  now  saw,  through  the  smoke,  the  ponder 
ous  yard  of  la  Fontange  swinging  heavily  agains 
the   breeze,    and   the    main-topsail   come    flapping 
against  her  mast.    Swinging  off  from  the  poop  by  a 
backstay  that  had  been  shot  away  a  moment  before, 
he  alighted  on  the  quarter-deck  by  the  side  of  the 
master. 

"Touch  all  the  braces!"  he  said,  hastily,  but  still 
speaking  low  and  clearly ;  "  give  a  drag  upon  the 
bowlines — luff,  Sir,  luff;  jam  the  ship  up  hard 
against  the  wind !" 

The  clear,  steady  answer  of  the  quarter-master, 
and  the  manner  in  which  the  Coquette,  still  vomiting 
her  sheets  of  flame,  inclined  towards  the  breeze,  an 
nounced  the  promptitude  of  the  subordinates.  In 
another  minute,  the  vast  volumes  of  smoke  which 
enveloped  the  two  ships  joined,  and  formed  one 
white  and  troubled  cloud,  which  was  rolling  swiftly 
before  the  explosions,  over  the  surface  of  the  sea, 
but  which,  as  it  rose  higher  in  the  air,  sailed  grace 
fully  to  leeward. 

Our  young  commander  passed  swiftly  through  the 
batteries,  spoke  encouragingly  to  his  people,  and  re 
sumed  his  post  on  the  poop.  The  stationary  position 
of  la  Fontange,  and  his  own  efforts  to  get  to  wind* 
ward,  were  already  proving  advantageous  to  Queen 
Anne's  cruiser.  There  was  some  indecision  on  the 
part  of  the  other  ship,  which  instantly  caught  the 
eye  of  one  whose  readiness  in  his  profession  so  much 
resembled  instinct. 

The  Chevalier  Dumont  had  amused  his  leisure  by 
running  his  eyes  over  the  records  of  the  naval  history 
of  his  country,  where  he  had  found  this  and  that 
commander  applauded  for  throwing  their  topsails  to 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  435 

the  mast,  abreast  of  their  enemies.  Ignorant  of  the 
difference  between  a  ship  in  line  and  one  engaged 
singly,  he  had  determined  to  prove  himself  equal  to 
a  similar  display  of  spirit.  At  the  moment  when 
Ludlow  was  standing  alone  on  the  poop,  watching 
with  vigilant  eyes  the  progress  of  his  own  vessel,  and 
the  position  of  his  enemy,  indicating  merely  by  a 
look  or  a  gesture  to  the  attentive  Trysail  beneath, 
what  he  wished  done,  there  was  actually  a  wordy 
discussion  on  the  quarter-deck  of  the  latter,  between 
the  mariner  of  Boulogne-sur-Mer,  and  the  gay  fa 
vorite  of  the  salons.  They  debated  on  the  expedi 
ency  of  the  step  which  the  latter  had  taken,  to 
prove  the  existence  of  a  quality  that  no  one  doubted. 
The  time  lost  in  this  difference  of  opinion  was  of  the 
\ast  importance  to  the  British  cruiser.  Standing  gal 
lantly  on,  she  was  soon  out  of  the  range  of  her  ad 
versary's  fire ;  and,  before  the  Boulognois  had  suc 
ceeded  in  convincing  his  superior  of  his  error,  their 
antagonist  was  on  the  other  tack,  and  luffing  across 
(he  wake  of  la  Fontange.  The  topsail  was  then  tar 
dily  tilled,  but  before  the  latter  ship  had  recovered 
her  motion,  the  sails  of  her  enemy  overshadowed  her 
deck.  There  was  now  every  prospect  of  the  Coquette 
passing  to  windward.  At  that  critical  moment,  the 
fair-setting  topsail  of  the  British  cruiser  was  nearly 
rent  in  two  by  a  shot.  The  ship  fell  off,  the  yards 
interlocked,  and  the  vessels  were  foul. 

The  Coquette  had  all  the  advantage  of  position. 
Perceiving  the  important  fact  at  a  glance,  Ludlow 
made  sure  of  its  continuance  by  throwing  his  grap 
nels.  When  the  two  ships  were  thus  firmly  lashed 
together,  the  young  Dumont  found  himself  relieved 
from  a  mountain  of  embarrassment.  Sufficiently  jus 
tified  by  the  fact  that  not  a  single  gun  of  his  own 
would  bear,  while  a  murderous  discharge  of  grape 
had  just  swept  along  his  decks,  he  issued  the  order  to 
board.  But  Ludlow,  with  his  weakened  crew,  had 


436  THE  WATER-WITCH. 

not  decided  on  so  hazardous  an  evolution  as  that 
which  brought  him  in  absolute  contact  with  hie 
enemy,  without  foreseeing  the  means  of  avoiding  all 
the  consequences.  The  vessels  touched  each  other 
only  at  one  point,  and  this  spot  was  protected  bv  3 
row  of  muskets.  No  sooner,  therefore,  did  the  im 
petuous  young  Frenchman  appear  on  the  taffrail  01 
his  own  ship,  supported  by  a  band  of  followers,  than 
a  close  and  deadly  fire  swept  them  away  to  a  man. 
Young  Dumont  alone  remained.  For  a  single  mo 
ment,  his  eye  glared  wildly;  but  the  active  frame, 
still  obedient  to  the  governing  impulse  of  so  impetu 
ous  a  spirit,  leaped  onward.  He  fell,  without  life,  on 
the  deck  of  his  enemy. 

Ludlow  watched  every  movement,  with  a  calm 
ness  that  neither  personal  responsibility,  nor  the  up 
roar  and  rapid  incidents  of  the  terrible  scene,  could 
discompose. 

"  Now  is  our  time  to  bring  the  matter  hand  to 
hand!"  he  cried,  making  a  gesture  to  Trysail  to 
descend  from  the  ladder,  in  order  that  he  might  pass. 

His  arm  was  arrested,  and  the  grave  old  master 
pointed  to  windward. 

"  There  is  no  mistaking  the  cut  of  those  sails,  or 
the  lofty  rise  of  those  spars !  The  stranger  is  another 
Frenchman !" 

One  glance  told  Ludlow  that  his  subordinate  was 
right ;  another  sufficed  to  show  what  was  now  neces 
sary. 

"Cast  loose  the  forward  grapnel — cut  it — away 
with  it,  clear ! "  was  shouted,  through  his  trumpet, 
in  a  voice  that  rose  commanding  and  clear  amid  the 
roar  of  the  combat. 

Released  forward,  the  stern  of  the  Coquette  yield 
ed  to  (he  pressure  of  her  enemy,  whose  sails  were  all 
drawing,  and  she  was  soon  in  a  position  to  enable  her 
head-yards  to  be  braced  sharp  aback,  in  a  direction 
opposite  to  the  one  in  which  she  had  so  lately  lain* 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  437 

The  whole  hroadside  was  then  delivered  into  the 
stern  of  la  Fontange,  the  last  grapnel  was  released 
and  the  ships  separated. 

The  single  spirit  which  presided  over  the  evolu 
tions  and  exertions  of  the  Coquette,  still  governed  her 
movements.  The  sails  were  trimmed,  the  ship  wa 
got  in  command,  and,  before  the  vessels  had  been 
asunder  five  minutes,  the  duty  of  the  vessel  was  in 
its  ordinary  active  but  noiseless  train. 

Nimble  top-men  were  on  the  yards,  and  broad 
folds  of  fresh  canvas  were  flapping  in  the  breeze,  as 
the  new  sails  were  bent  and  set.  Ropes  were  spliced, 
or  supplied  by  new  rigging,  the  spars  examined,  and 
in  fine  all  that  watchfulness  and  sedulous  care  were 
observed,  which  are  so  necessary  to  the  efficiency  and 
safety  of  a  ship.  Every  spar  was  secured,  the  pumps 
were  sounded,  and  the  vessel  held  on  her  way,  as 
steadily  as  if  she  had  never  fired  nor  received  a  shot. 

On  the  other  hand,  la  Fontange  betrayed  the  in 
decision  and  confusion  of  a  worsted  ship.  Her  torn 
.canvas  was  blowing  about  in  disorder,  many  import 
ant  ropes  beat  against  her  masts  unheeded,  and  the 
vessel  itself  drove  before  the  breeze  in  the  helpless 
ness  of  a  wreck.  For  several  minutes,  there  seemed 
no  controlling  mind  in  the  fabric ;  and  when,  after  so 
much  distance  was  lost  as  to  give  her  enemy  all  the 
advantage  of  the  wind,  a  tardy  attempt  was  made 
to  bring  the  ship  up  again,  the  tallest  and  most  im 
portant  of  her  masts  was  seen  tottering,  until  it  final 
ly  fell,  with  all  its  hamper,  into  the  sea. 

Notwithstanding  the  absence  of  so  many  of  his 
people,  success  would  now  have  been  certain,  had  not 
the  presence  of  the  stranger  compelled  Ludlow  to 
abandon  his  advantage.  But  the  consequences  to  his 
own  vessel  were  too  sure,  to  allow  of  more  than  a 
natural  and  manly  regret  that  so  favorable  an  occa 
sion  should  escape  him.  The  character  of  the  stran 
ger  could  no  longer  be  mistaken.  The  eye  of  every 
2  M  2 


438  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

seaman  in  the  Coquette  as  well  understood  the  coun 
try  of  the  high  and  narrow-headed  sails,  the  tali! 
taper  masts  and  short  yards  of  the  frigate  whose 
hull  was  now  distinctly  visible,  as  a  landsman  recog 
nizes  an  individual  by  the  distinguishing  marks  oi 
his  featu^s  or  attire.  Had  there  been  any  lingering 
doubts  on  the  subject,  they  would  have  all  given 
place  to  certainty,  when  the  stranger  was  seen  ex 
changing  signals  with  the  crippled  corvette. 

It  was  now  time  for  Ludlow  to  come  to  a  speedy 
determination  on  his  future  course.  The  breeze  still 
held  to  the  southward,  but  it  was  beginning  to  lessen, 
with  every  appearance  that  it  would  fail  before 
nightfall.  The  land  lay  a  few  leagues  to  the  north 
ward,  and  the  whole  horizon  of  the  ocean,  with  the 
exception  of  the  two  French  cruisers,  was  clear.  De 
scending  to  the  quarter-deck,  he  approached  the 
master,  who  was  seated  in  a  chair,  while  the  surgeon 
dressed  a  severe  hurt  in  one  of  his  legs.  Shaking 
the  sturdy  veteran  cordially  by  the  hand,  he  express 
ed  his  acknowledgments  for  his  support  in  a  moment 
so  trying. 

"  God  bless  you !  God  bless  you  !  Captain  Ludlow ;" 
returned  the  old  sailor,  dashing  his  hand  equivocally 
across  his  weatherbeaten  brow.  "  Battle  is  certainly 
the  place  to  try  both  ship  and  friends,  and  Heaven 
be  praised !  Queen  Anne  has  not  failed  of  either 
this  day.  No  man  has  forgotten  his  duty,  so  far  as 
my  eyes  have  witnessed ;  and  this  is  saying  no  trifle, 
with  half  a  crew  and  an  equal  enemy.  As  for  the 
ship,  she  never  behaved  better !  I  had  my  misgiv 
ings,  when  I  saw  the  new  main-topsail  go,  which  it 
did,  as  all  here  know,  like  a  bit  of  rent  muslin  be 
tween  the  fingers  of  a  seamstress.  Run  forward,  Mr. 
Hopper,  and  tell  the  men  in  the  fore  rigging  to  take 
another  drag  on  that  swifter,  and  to  be  careful  and 
bring  the  strain  equal  OQ  all  the  shrouds. — A  lively 
youth,  Captain  Ludlow,  and  one  who  only  wants  a 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  439 

little  reflection,  with  some  more  experience,  and  a 
small  dash  of  modesty,  together  with  the  seamanship, 
he  will  naturally  get  in  time,  to  make  a  very  tolera 
ble  officer." 

"The  boy  promises  well;  but  I  have  come  to  ask 
thy  advice,  my  old  friend,  concerning  our  next  move 
ments.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  fellow  who  is 
coming  down  upon  us  is  both  a  Frenchman  and  a 
frigate." 

"  A  man  might  as  well  doubt  the  nature  of  a  fish- 
hawk,  which  is  to  pick  up  all  the  small  fry,  and  to 
let  the  big  ones  go.  We  might  show  him  our  canvas 
and  try  the  open  sea,  but  I  fear  that  fore-mast  is  top 
weak,  with  three  such  holes  in  it,  to  bear  the  sail 
we  should  need  ! " 

"What  think  you  of  the  wind?"  said  Ludlow, 
affecting  an  indecision  he  did  not  feel,  in  order 
to  soothe  the  feelings  of  his  wounded  companion. 
"  Should  it  hold,  we  might  double  Montauk,  and  re 
turn  for  the  rest  of  our  people ;  but  should  it  fail,  is 
there  no  danger  that  the  frigate  should  tow  within 
snot  i — We  have  no  boats  to  escape  her." 

"  The  soundings  on  this  coast  are  as  regular  as  the 
roof  of  an  out-house,"  said  the  master,  after  a  mo 
ment  of  thought,  "  and  it  is  my  advice,  if  it  is  your 
pleasure  to  ask  it,  Captain  Ludlow,  that  we  shoal 
our  water  as  much  as  possible,  while  the  wind  lasts. 
Then,  I  think,  we  shall  be  safe  from  a  VPT  near 
visit  from  the  big  one : — as  for  the  corvette,  1  am  of 
opinion,  that,  like  a  man  who  has  eaten  his  dinner, 
she  has  no  stomach  for  another  slice." 

Ludlow  ap^.auded  the  advice  of  his  subordinate 
for  it  was  precisely  what  he  had  determined   o 
doing ;  and  after  again  complimenting  him  on  his  cool 
ness  and  skill,  he  issued  the  necessary  orders.    The 
helm  of  the  Coquette  was  now  placed  hard  a-weather, 
the  yards  were  squared,  and  the  ship  was  put  be 
fore  the  wind.     After  running,  in  this  direction  for  a 


440  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

few  hours,  the  wind  gradually  lessening,  the  lead  an» 
nounced  that  the  keel  was  quite  as  near  the  bottom 
as  the  time  of  the  tide,  and  the  dull  heaving  and  set 
ting  of  the  element,  rendered  at  all  prudent.  The 
breeze  soon  after  fell,  and  then  our  young  command 
er  ordered  an  anchor  to  be  dropped  into  the  sea. 

His  example,  in  the  latter  respect,  was  imitated 
by  the  hostile  cruisers.  They  had  soon  joined,  and 
boats  were  seen  passing  from  one  to  the  other,  so 
long  as  there  was  light.  When  the  sun  fell  behind 
the  western  margin  of  the  ocean,  their  dusky  out 
lines,  distant  about  a  league,  gradually  grew  less  and 
less  distinct,  until  the  darkness  of  night  enveloped 
sea  and  land  in  its  gloom. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

"Now;  the  business!" 

OTHELLO. 

THREE  hours  later,  and  every  noise  was  hushed 
on  board  the  royal  cruiser.  The  toil  of  repairing 
damages  had  ceased,  and  most  of  the  living,  with 
the  dead,  lay  alike  in  common  silence.  The  watch 
fulness  necessary  to  the  situation  of  the  fatigued 
mariners,  however,  was  not  forgotten,  and  though  so 
many  slept,  a  few  eyes  were  still  open,  and  affecting 
to  be  alert.  Here  and  there,  some  drowsy  seaman 
paced  the  deck,  or  a  solitary  young  officer  endea 
vored  to  keep  himself  awake,  by  humming  a  low 
ir,  in  his  narrow  bounds.  The  mass  of  the  crew 
slept  heavily,  with  pistols  in  their  belts  and  cutlasses 
at  t\,eir  sides,  between  the  guns.  There  was  one 
figure  extended  upon  the  quarter-deck,  with  the  head 
resting  on  a  shot-box.  The  deep  breathing  of  thi». 


THE  WATER- WITCH.  441 

person  denoted  the  unquiet  slumbers  of  a  powerful 
frame,  in  which  weariness  contended  with  suffering, 
It  was  the  wounded  and  feverish  master,  who  had 
placed  himself  in  that  position  to  catch  an  hour  of 
the  repose  that  was  necessary  to  his  situation.  On 
an  arm-chest,  which  had  been  emptied  of  its  con 
tents,  lay  another  but  a  motionless  human  form,  with 
the  limbs  composed  in  decent  order,  and  with  the 
face  turned  towards  the  melancholy  stars.  This  was 
the  body  of  the  young  Dumont,  which  had  been 
kept,  with  the  intention  of  consigning  it  to  conse 
crated  earth,  when  the  ship  should  return  to  port. 
Ludlow,  with  the  delicacy  of  a  generous  and  chiv 
alrous  enemy  had  with  his  own  hands  spread  the 
stainless  ensign  of  his  country  over  the  remains  of 
the  inexperienced  but  gallant  young  Frenchman. 

There  was  one  little  group  on  the  raised  deck  in 
the  stern  of  the  vessel,  in  which  the  ordinary  inter 
ests  of  life  still  seemed  to  exercise  their  influence. 
Hither  Ludlow  had  led  Alida  and  her  companions, 
after  the  duties  of  the  day  were  over,  in  order  that 
they  might  breathe  an  air  fresher  than  that  of  the 
interior  of  the  vessel.  The  negress  nodded  near  her 
young  mistress;  the  tired  Alderman  sate  with  his 
back  supported  against  the  mizen-mast,  giving  audi 
ble  evidence  of  his  situation ;  and  Ludlow  stood 
erect,  occasionally  throwing  an  earnest  look  on  the 
surrounding  and  unruffled  waters,  and  then  lending 
his  attention  to  the  discourse  of  his  companions. 
Alida  and  Seadrift  were  seated  near  each  other,  on 
chairs.  The  conversation  was  low,  while  the  mel 
ancholy  and  the  tremor  in  the  voice  of  la  belle  Bar 
berie  denoted  how  much  the  events  of  the  day  had 
shaken  her  usually  firm  and  spirited  mind. 

"  There  is  a  mingling  of  the  terrific  and  the  beau 
tiful,  of  the  grand  and  the  seducing,  in  this  unquiet 
profession  of  yours!"  observed,  or  rather  continued 
Alida,  replying  to  a  previous  remark  of  the  young 


442  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

sailor.  "  That  tranquil  sea — the  hollow  sound  of  th« 
surf  on  the  shore — and  this  soft  canopy  above  us, 
form  objects  on  which  even  a  girl  might  dwell  ill 
admiration,  were  not  her  ears  still  ringing  with  the 
roar  and  cries  of  the  combat.  Did  you  say  the  com 
mander  of  the  Frenchman  was  but  a  youth?" 

"  A  mere  boy  in  appearance,  and  one  who  doubt 
less  owed  his  rank  to  the  advantages  of  birth  and 
family.  We  know  it  to  be  the  captain,  by  his  dress, 
no  less  than  by  the  desperate  effort  he  made  to  re 
cover  the  false  step  taken  in  the  earlier  part  of  the 
action." 

"  Perhaps  he  has  a  mother,  Ludlow ! — a  sister — a 
wife — or " 

Alida  paused,  for,  with  maiden  diffidence,  she 
hesitated  to  pronounce  the  tie  which  was  uppermost 
in  her  thoughts. 

"  He  may  have  had  one,  or  all !  Such  are  the  sail 
or's  hazards,  and " 

"  Such  the  hazards  of  those  who  feel  an  interest 
in  their  safety!"  uttered  the  low  but  expressive 
voice  of  Seadrift. 

A  deep  and  eloquent  silence  succeeded.  Then  the 
voice  of  Myndert  was  heard  muttering  indistinctly, 
"  twenty  of  beaver,  and  three  of  marten — as  per 
invoice."  The  smile  which,  spite  of  the  train  of  his 
thoughts,  rose  on  the  lips  of  Ludlow,  had  scarcely 
passed  away,  when  the  hoarse  tones  of  Trysail,  ren 
dered  still  hoarser  by  his  sleep,  were  plainly  heard 
in  a  stifled  cry,  saying,  "  Bear  a  hand,  there,  with 
your  stoppers ! — the  Frenchman  is  coming  round 
upon  us,  again." 

"That  is  prophetic!"  said  one,  aloud,  behind  the 
listening  group.  Ludlow  turned,  quick  as  the  flag 
fluttering  on  its  vane,  and  through  the  darkness  he 
recognized,  in  the  motionless  but  manly  form  that 
stood  near  him  on  the  poop,  the  fine  person  of  thfi 
'  Skimmer  of  the  Seas.' 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  443 

"Call  away !" 

"Call  none!" — interrupted  Tiller,  stopping  the 
nurried  order  which  involuntarily  broke  from  the 
lips  of  Ludlow.  "  Let  thy  ship  feign  the  silence  of  a 
wreck,  but,  in  truth,  let  there  be  watchfulness  and 
preparation  even  to  her  store-rooms !  You  have  done 
well,  Captain  Ludlow,  to  be  on  the  alert,  though  I 
have  known  sharper  eyes  than  those  of  some  of  your 
look-outs." 

"  Whence  come  you,  audacious  man,  and  what 
mad  errand  has  brought  you  again  on  the  deck  of 
my  ship?" 

"  I  come  from  my  habitation  on  the  sea.  My  busi 
ness  here  is  warning ! " 

"  The  sea!"  echoed  Ludlow,  gazing  about  him  at 
the  narrow  and  empty  view.  "  The  hour  for  mock 
ery  is  past,  and  you  would  do  well  to  trifle  no  more 
with  those  who  have  serious  duties  to  discharge." 

"  The  hour  is  indeed  one  for  serious  duties — duties 
more  serious  than  any  you  apprehend.  But  before 
I  enter  on  explanation,  there  must  be  conditions 
between  us.  You  have  one  of  the  sea-green  lady's 
servitors,  here ;  I  claim  his  liberty,  for  my  secret." 

"  The  error  into  which  I  had  fallen  exists  no 
longer;"  returned  Ludlow,  looking  for  an  instant  to 
wards  the  shrinking  form  of  Seadrift.  "  My  con 
quest  is  worthless,  unless  you  come  to  supply  his 
place." 

"  I  come  for  other  purposes — here  is  one  who 
knows  I  do  not  trifle  when  urgent  affairs  are  on 
hand.  Let  thy  companions  retire,  that  I  may  speak 
openly." 

Ludlow  hesitated,  for  he  had  not  yet  recovered 
from  the  surprise  of  finding  the  redoubtable  free 
trader  so  unexpectedly  on  the  deck  of  his  ship.  But 
Alida  and  her  companion  arose,  like  those  who  had 
more  confidence  in  their  visiter,  and,  arousing  the 
negress  from  her  sleep,  they  descended  the  Bladder 


444  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

and  entered  the  cabin.     When  Ludlow  found  him 
self  alone  with  Tiller,  he  demanded  an  explanation. 

"  It  shall  not  be  withheld,  for  time  presses,  and 
that  which  is  to  be  done  must  be  done  with  a  sea 
man's  care  and  coolness;"  returned  the  other. — 
"  You  have  had  a  close  brush  with  one  of  Louis's  ro 
vers,  Captain  Ludlow,  and  prettily  was  the  ship  of 
Queen  Anne  handled  !  Have  your  people  suffered, 
and  are  you  still  strong  enough  to  make  good  a  de 
fence  worthy  of  your  conduct  this  morning  ?" 

"  These  are  facts  you  would  have  me  utter  to  the 
ear  of  one  who  may  be  false ; — even  a  spy  ! " 

"  Captain  Ludlow — but  circumstarc.es  warrant  thj 
suspicions ! " 

"  One  whose  vessel  and  life  I  have  threatened — 
an  outlaw!" 

"  This  is  too  true,"  returned  the  '  Skimmer  cf  the 
Seas,'  suppressing  a  sudden  impulse  of  pride  and  re 
sentment.  "  I  am  threatened  and  pursued — I  am  a 
smuggler  and  an  outlaw :  still  am  I  human !  You  sec 
that  dusky  object,  which  borders  the  sea  to  the 
northward!" 

"  It  is  too  plainly  land,  to  be  mistaken." 

"  Land,  and  the  land  of  my  birth  ! — the  earliest, 
perhaps  I  may  say  the  happiest  of  my  days,  were 
passed  on  that  long  and  narrow  island." 

"  Had  I  known  it  earlier,  there  would  have  been 
a  closer  look  among  its  bays  and  inlets," 

"  The  search  might  have  been  rewarded.  A  can 
non  would  easily  throw  its  shot  from  this  deck  to  the 
spot  where  my  brigantine  now  lies,  snug  at  a  single 
anchor." 

"  Unless  you  have  swept  her  near  since  the  setting 
cif  the  sun,  that  is  impossible !  When  the  night  drow 
on,  nothing  was  in  view  but  the  frigate  and  corvette 
of  the  enemy." 

"  We  have  not  stirred  a  fathom ;  and  yet,  tru-j  as 
the  word  of  a  fearless  man,  there  lies  the  vessel  01 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  445 

Che  sea-green  lady.  You  see  the  place  where  the 
beach  falls — here,  at  the  nearest  point  of  the  land — 
the  island  is  nearly  severed  by  the  water  at  that 
spot,  and  the  Water- Witch  is  safe  in  the  depths  of 
the  bay  which  enters  from  the  northward.  There 
s  not  a  mile  between  us.  From  the  eastern  hill,  I 
witnessed  your  spirit  this  day,  Captain  Ludlow,  and 
though  condemned  in  person,  I  felt  that  the  heart 
could  never  be  outlawed.  There  is  a  fealty  here, 
that  can  survive  even  the  persecutions  of  the  custom 
houses  ! " 

"  You  are  happy  in  your  terms,  Sir.  I  will  not 
conceal  that  I  think  a  seaman,  even  as  skilful  as 
yourself,  must  allow  that  the  Coquette  was  kept 
prettily  in  command ! " 

"JVo  pilot-boat  could  have  been  more  sure,  or 
more  lively.  I  knew  your  weakness,  for  the  absence 
of  all  your  boats  was  no  secret  to  me ;  and  I  confess 
I  could  have  spared  some  of  the  profits  of  the  voyage, 
to  have  been  on  your  decks  this  day  with  a  dozen  of 
my  truest  fellows!" 

"  A  man  who  can  feel  this  loyalty  to  the  flag, 
should  find  a  more  honorable  occupation  for  his  usual 
life." 

"  A  country  that  can  inspire  it,  should  be  cautious 
not  to  estrange  the  affections  of  its  children,  by  mo 
nopolies  and  injustice.  But  these  are  discussions  un- 
suited  to  the  moment.  I  am  doubly  your  country 
man  in  this  strait,  and  all  the  past  is  no  more  than 
the  rough  liberties  which  friends  take  with  each 
other.  Captain  Ludlow,  there  is  danger  brooding 
in  that  dark  void  which  lies  to  seaward !" 

"On  what  authority  do  you  speak  thust" 

"  Sight. — I  have  been  among  your  enemies,  and 

nave  seen  their  deadly  preparations.     I  know  the 

caution  is  given  to  a  brave  man,  and  nothing  shall  be 

extenuated.     You  have  need  of  all  your  resolution 

2N 


446  THE   WATER-WITCH. 

and  of  every  arm — for  they  will  be  upon  yon,  In 
overwhelming  numbers ! " 

"True  or  false,  thy  warning  shall  not  be  neg 
lected." 

"Hold!"  said  the  Skimmer,  arresting  a  forward 
movement  of  his  companion,  with  his  hand.  "  Let 
them  sleep  to  the  last  moment.  You  have  yet  an 
hour,  and  rest  will  renew  their  strength.  You  may 
trust  the  experience  of  a  seaman  who  has  passed 
half  of  the  life  of  man  on  the  ocean,  and  who  has 
witnessed  all  its  most  stirring  scenes,  from  the  con 
flict  of  the  elements  to  every  variety  of  strife  that 
man  has  invented  to  destroy  his  fellows.  For  another 
hour,  you  will  be  secure. — After  that  hour,  God  pro 
tect  the  unprepared !  and  God  be  merciful  to  him 
whose  minutes  are  numbered  !" 

"  Thy  language  and  manner  are  those  of  one  who 
deals  honestly ;"  returned  Ludlow,  struck  by  the  ap 
parent  sincerity  of  the  free-trader's  communication. 
"  In  every  event,  we  shall  be  ready,  though  the  man 
ner  of  your  having  gained  this  knowledge  is  as  great 
a  mystery  as  your  appearance  on  the  deck  of  my 
ship." 

"  Both  can  be  explained,"  returned  the  Skimmer, 
motioning  to  his  companion  to  follow  to  the  taifrail. 
Here  he  pointed  to  a  small  and  nearly  imperceptible 
skiff,  which  floated  at  the  bottom  of  a  stern-ladder, 
and  continued — "  One  who  so  often  pays  secret  visits 
to  the  land,  can  never  be  in  want  of  the  means.  This 
nut-shell  was  easily  transported  across  the  narrow 
slip  of  land  that  separates  the  bay  from  the  ocean, 
and  though  the  surf  moans  so  hoarsely,  it  is  easily 
passed  by  a  steady  and  dexterous  oarsman.  I  have 
been  unaVr  the  martingale  of  the  Frenchman,  and 
you  see  that  I  am  here.  If  your  look-outs  are  less 
alert  than  usual,  you  will  remember  that  a  low  gun 
wale,  a  dusky  side,  and  a  muffled  oar,  are  not  readily 
detected,  when  the  eye  is  heavy  and  the  body  wea- 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  447 

fied.  1  must  now  quit  you — unless  you  thh.k  it  more 
prudent  to  send  those  who  can  be  of  no  service,  out 
of  the  ship,  before  the  trial  shall  come  ] " 

Ludlow  hesitated.  A  strong  desire  to  put  Alida  in 
a  place  of  safety,  was  met  by  his  distrust  of  the 
smuggler's  faith.  He  reflected  a  moment,  ere  he  an 
swered. 

"  Your  cockle-shell  is  not  sufficiently  secure  for 
more  than  its  owner. — Go,  and  as  you  prove  loyal, 
may  you  prosper ! " 

"  Abide  the  blow !"  said  the  Skimmer,  grasping  his 
hand.  He  then  stepped  carelessly  on  the  dangling 
ropes,  and  descended  into  the  boat  beneath.  Ludlow 
watched  his  movements,  with  an  intense  and  possibly 
with  a  distrustful  curiosity.  When  seated  at  the 
sculls,  the  person  of  the  free-trader  was  nearly  indis 
tinct;  and  as  the  boat  glided  noiselessly  away,  the 
young  commander  no  longer  felt  disposed  to  censure 
those  who  had  permitted  its  approach  without  a  warn 
ing.  In  less  than  a  minute,  the  dusky  object  was  con 
founded  with  the  surface  of  the  sea. 

Left  to  himself,  the  young  commander  of  the  Co 
quette  seriously  reflected  on  what  had  passed.  The 
manner  of  the  Skimmer,  the  voluntary  character  of 
his  communication,  its  probability,  and  the  means  by 
which  his  knowledge  had  been  obtained,  united  to 
confirm  his  truth.  Instances  of  similar  attachment 
to  their  flag,  in  seamen  whose  ordinary  pursuits  wer 
opposed  to  its  interests,  were  not  uncommon.  Their 
misdeeds  resemble  the  errors  of  passion  and  tempta 
tion,  while  the  momentary  return  to  better  things  is 
like  the  inextinguishable  impulses  of  nature. 

The  admonition  of  the  free-trader,  who  had  en 
joined  the  captain  to  allow  his  people  to  sleep,  was 
remembered.  Twenty  times,  within  as  many  min- 
utos,  did  our  young  sailor  examine  his  watch,  to  note 
the  tardy  passage  of  the  time ;  and  as  often  did  he 
return  it  to  his  pocket,  with  a  determination  to  for- 


448  THE   WATER-WITCH. 

bear.  At  length  he  descended  to  the  quarter-deck, 
and  drew  near  the  only  form  that  was  erect.  The 
watch  was  commanded  by  a  youth  of  sixteen,  whose 
regular  period  of  probationary  service  had  not  passed, 
but  who,  in  the  absence  of  his  superiors,  was  in 
trusted  with  this  delicate  and  important  duty.  He 
stood  leaning  against  the  capstan,  one  hand  support 
ing  his  cheek,  while  the  elbow  rested  against  the 
drum,  and  the  body  was  without  motion.  Ludlow 
regarded  him  a  moment,  and  then  lifting  a  lighted 
battle-lantern  to  his  face,  he  saw  that  he  slept.  With 
out  disturbing  the  delinquent,  the  captain  replaced 
the  lantern  and  passed  forward.  In  the  gangway 
there  stood  a  marine,  with  his  musket  shouldered,  in 
an  attitude  of  attention.  As  Ludlow  brushed  within 
a  few  inches  of  his  eyes,  it  was  easy  to  be  seen  that 
they  opened  and  shut  involuntarily,  and  without  con 
sciousness  of  what  lay  before  them.  On  the  top-gal 
lant-forecastle  was  a  short,  square,  and  well-balanced 
figure,  that  stood  without  support  of  any  kind,  with 
both  arms  thrust  into  the  bosom  of  a  jacket,  and  a 
head  that  turned  slowly  to  the  west  and  south,  as  if 
it  were  examining  the  ocean  in  those  directions. 

Stepping  lightly  up  the  ladder,  Ludlow  saw  that 
it  was  the  veteran  seaman  who  was  rated  as  the 
captain  of  the  forecastle. 

"  I  am  glad,  at  last,  to  find  one  pair  of  eyes  open, 
in  my  ship,"  said  the  captain.  "  Of  the  whole  watch, 
you  alone  are  alert." 

"  I  have  doubled  cape  fifty,  your  Honor,  and  the 
seaman  who  has  made  that  voyage,  rarely  wants  the 
second  call  of  the  boatswain.  Young  heads  have 
young  eyes,  and  sleep  is  next  to  food,  after  a  heavy 
drag  at  gun-tackles  and  lanyards." 

*'  And  what  draws  your  attention  so  steadily  in 
that  quarter  ?  There  is  nothing  visible  but  the  haze 
of  the  sea." 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  449 

"'Tis  the  direction  of  the  Frenchmen,  Sir — does 
your  Honor  hear  nothing!" 

"  Nothing ;"  said  Ludlow,  after  ii  tently  listening 
for  half  a  minute.  "  Nothing,  unless  it  be  the  wash 
of  the  surf  on  the  beach." 

'•  It  may  be  only  fancy,  but  there  came  a  sound 
like  the  fall  of  an  oar-blade  on  a  thwart,  and  'tis  but 
natural,  your  Honor,  to  expect  the  inounsheer  will 
be  out,  in  this  smooth  water,  to  see  what  has  become 
of  us. — There  went  the  flash  of  a  light,  or  my  name 
isnotBobCleet!" 

Ludlow  was  silent.  A  light  was  certainly  visible 
in  the  quarter  where  the  enemy  was  known  to  be 
anchored,  and  it  came  and  disappeared  like  a  moving 
lantern.  At  length  it  was  seen  to  descend  slowly,  and 
Vanish  as  if  it  were  extinguished  in  the  water. 

"  That  lantern  went  into  a  boat,  Captain  Ludlow, 
though  a  lubber  carried  it!"  said  the  positive  old 
forecastle-man,  shaking  his  head  and  beginning  to 
pace  across  the  deck,  with  the  air  of  a  man  who 
needed  no  further  confirmation  of  his  suspicions. 

Ludlow  returned  towards  the  quarter-deck, 
thoughtful  but  calm.  He  passed  among  his  sleeping 
crew,  without  awaking  a  man,  and  even  forbearing 
to  touch  the  still  motionless  midshipman,  he  entered 
his  cabin  without  speaking. 

The  commander  of  the  Coquette  was  absent  but 
a  few  minutes.  When  he  again  appeared  on  deck, 
there  was  more  of  decision  and  of  preparation  in  his 
manner. 

"  'Tis  time  to  call  the  watch,  Mr.  Reef;"  he  whis 
pered  at  the  elbow  of  the  drowsy  officer  of  the  deck, 
without  betraying  his  consciousness  of  the  youth's 
forgetfulness  of  duty.  "  The  glass  is  out." 

"  Ay,  ay,  Sir. — Bear  a  hand,  and  turn  the  glass!" 
muttered  the  young  man.  "  A  fine  night,  Sir,  and 
Very  smooth  water. — I  was  just  thinking  of " 

"  Home  and  thy  mother !  'Tis  the  way  with  us  all 
2N3 


450  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

in  youth.  Well,  we  have  now  something  else  to  oo* 
cupy  the  thoughts.  Muster  all  the  gentlemen,  here, 
on  the  quarter-deck,  Sir." 

"  When  the  half-sleeping  midshipmar  quitted  his 
captain  to  obey  this  order,  the  latter  drew  near  the 
spot  where  Trysail  still  lay  in  an  unquiet  sleep.  A 
light  touch  of  a  single  finger  was  sufficient  to  raise 
the  master  on  his  feet.  The  first  look  of  the  veteran 
tar  was  aloft,  the  second  at  the  heavens,  and.the  last 
at  his  captain. 

"  I  fear  thy  wound  stiffens,  and  that  the  night  air 
has  added  to  the  pain?"  observed  the  latter,  speak 
ing  in  a  kind  and  considerate  tone. 

"  The  wounded  spar  cannot  be  trusted  like  a  sound 
stick,  Captain  Ludlow ;  but  as  I  am  no  foot-soldiei 
on  a  march,  the  duty  of  the  ship  may  go  on  without 
my  calling  for  a  horse." 

"  I  rejoice  in  thy  cheerful  spirit,  my  old  friend,  for 
here  is  serious  work  likely  to  fall  upon  our  hands. 
The  Frenchmen  are  in  their  boats,  and  we  shall 
shortly  be  brought  to  close  quarters,  or  prognostics 
are  false." 

"  Boats!"  repeated  the  master.  "  I  had  rather  it 
were  under  our  canvas,  with  a  stiff  breeze !  The 
play  of  this  ship  is  a  lively  foot,  and  a  touching  leech ; 
but,  when,  it  comes  to  boats,  a  marine  is  nearly  as 
good  a  man  as  a  quarter-master!" 

"  We  must  take  fortune  as  it  offers. — Here  is  our 
council ! — It  is  composed  of  young  heads,  but  ol 
hearts  that  might  do  credit  to  gray  hairs." 

Ludlow  joined  the  little  group  of  officers  that  was 
by  this  time  assembled  near  the  capstan.  Here,  in  a 
few  words,  he  explained  the  reason  why  he  had  sum 
moned  them  from  their  sleep.  When  each  of  the 
youths  understood  his  orders,  and  the  nature  of  the 
new  danger  that  threatened  the  ship,  they  separated, 
and  began  to  enter  with  activity,  but  in  guarded 
feilence,  on  the  necessary  preparations.  The 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  451 

of  footsteps  awoke  a  dozen  of  the  older  seamen,  who 
immediately  joined  their  officers. 

Half  an  hour  passed  like  a  moment,  in  such  an 
occupation.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  Ludlow  deemed 
his  ship  ready.  The  two  forward  guns  had  been  run 
in,  and  the  shot  having  been  drawn,  their  places 
were  supplied  with  double  charges  of  grape  and 
canister.  Several  swivels,  a  species  of  armament 
much  used  in  that  age,  were  loaded  to  the  muzzles, 
and  placed  in  situations  to  rake  the  deck,  while  the 
fore-top  was  plentifully  stored  with  arms  and  ammu 
nition.  The  matches  were  prepared,  and  then  the 
whole  of  the  crew  was  mustered,  by  a  particular 
call  of  each  man.  Five  minutes  sufficed  to  issue  the 
necessary  orders,  and  to  see  each  post  occupied. 
After  this,  the  low  hum  ceased  in  the  ship,  and  the 
silence  again  became  so  deep  and  general,  that  the 
wash  of  the  receding  surf  was  nearly  as  audible  as 
the  plunge  of  the  wave  on  the  sands. 

Ludlow  stood  on  the  forecastle,  accompanied  by 
the  master.  Here  he  lent  all  his  senses  to  the  ap 
pearance  of  the  elements,  and  to  the  signs  of  the 
moment.  Wind  there  was  none,  though  occasionally 
a  breath  of  hot  air  came  from  the  land,  like  the  first 
efforts  of  the  night-breeze.  The  heavens  were 
clouded,  though  a  few  thoughtful  stars  glimmered 
between  the  masses  of  vapor. 

"A  calmer  night  never  shut  in  the  Americas!" 
said  the  veteran  Trysail,  shaking  his  head  doubtingly 
and  speaking  in  a  suppressed  and  cautious  tone.  "  I 
am  one  of  those,  Captain  Ludlow,  who  think  more 
than  half  the  virtue  is  out  of  a  ship  when  her  anchor 
is  down ! " 

"  With  a  weakened  crew,  it  may  be  better  for  us 
that  the  people  have  no  yards  to  handle,  nor  any 
bowlines  to  steady.  All  our  care  can  be  given  to 
defence." 

"  This  is  much  'ike  telling  the  hawk  he  can  fight 


452  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

the  better  with  a  clipped  wing,  since  he  has  not  the 
trouble  of  flying !  The  nature  of  a  ship  is  motion, 
and  the  merit  of  a  seaman  is  judicious  and  lively 
handling  ; — but  of  what  use  is  complaining,  since  it 
will  neither  lift  an  anchor  nor  fill  a  sail  ?  What  i§ 
your  opinion,  Captain  Ludlow,  concerning  an  after 
life,  and  of  all  those  matters  one  occasionally  hears 
of  if  he  happens  to  drift  in  the  way  of  a  church  ?" 

"  The  question  is  broad  as  the  ocean,  my  good 
friend,  and  a  fitting  answer  might  lead  us  into  ab 
strusities  deeper  than  any  problem  in  our  trigonome 
try. — Was  that  the  stroke  of  an  oar?" 

"  'Twas  a  land  noise.  Well,  I  am  no  great  navi 
gator  among  the  crooked  channels  of  religion.  Every 
new  argument  is  a  sand-bar,  or  a  shoal,  that  obliges 
me  to  tack  and  stand  off  again ;  else  I  might  have 
been  a  bishop,  for  any  thing  the  world  knows  to  the 
contrary.  'Tis  a  gloomy  night,  Captain  Ludlow,  and 
one  that  is  sparing  of  its  stars.  I  never  knew  luck 
come  of  an  expedition  on  which  a  natural  light  did 
not  fall!" 

"  So  much  the  worse  for  those  who  seek  to  harm 
us. — I  surely  heard  an  oar  in  the  row-lock !" 

"  It  came  from  the  shore,  and  had  the  sound  of 
the  land  about  it;"  quietly  returned  the  master,  who 
still  kept  his  look  riveted  on  the  heavens.  "  This 
world,  in  which  we  live,  Captain  Ludlow,  is  one  of 
extraordinary  uses  ;  but  that,  to  which  we  are 
steering,  is  still  more  unaccountable.  They  say  that 
worlds  are  sailing  above  us,  like  ships  in  a  clear  sea; 
and  there  are  people  who  believe,  that  when  we 
take  our  departure  from  this  planet,  we  are  only 
bound  to  another,  in  which  we  are  to  be  rated  ac 
cording  to  our  own  deeds  here ;  which  is  much  the 
same  as  being  drafted  for  a  new  ship,  with  a  certifi 
cate  of  service  in  one's  pocket." 

"  The  resemblance  is  perfect ; "  returned  the 
other  leaning  far  over  a  timber-head,  to  catch  the 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  453 

smallest  sound  that  might  come  from  the  ocean. 
"  That  was  no  more  than  the  blowing  of  a  por 
poise  !" 

"  It  was  strong  enough  for  the  puff  of  a  whale. 
There  is  no  scarcity  of  big  fish  on  the  coast  of  this 
island,  and  bold  harpooners  are  the  men  who  are 
scattered  about  on  the  sandy  downs,  here-away,  to 
the  northward.  I  once  sailed  with  an  officer  who 
knew  the  name  of  every  star  in  the  heavens,  and 
often  have  I  passed  hours  in  listening  to  his  history 
of  their  magnitude  and  character,  during  the  middle 
watches.  It  was  his  opinion,  that  there  is  but  one 
navigator  for  all  the  rovers  of  the  air,  whether  me 
teors,  comets,  or  planets." 

"  No  doubt  he  must  be  right,  having  been  there." 

"  No,  that  is  more  than  I  can  say  for  him,  though 
few  men  have  gone  deeper  into  the  high  latitudes 
on  both  sides  of  our  own  equator,  than  he.  One 
surely  spoke — here,  in  a  line  with  yonder  low  star !" 

"  Was  it  not  a  water-fowl?" 

"  No  gull — ha  !  here  we  have  the  object,  just 
within  the  starboard  jib-boom-guy.  There  comes 
the  Frenchman  in  his  pride,  and  'twill  be  lucky  for 
him  who  lives  to  count  the  slain,  or  to  boast  of  his 
deeds!" 

The  master  descended  from  the  forecastle,  and 
passed  among  the  crew,  with  every  thought  recalled 
from  its  excursive  flight  to  the  duty  of  the  moment. 
Ludlow  continued  on  the  forecastle,  alone.  There 
was  a  low,  whispering  sound  in  the  ship,  like  that 
which  is  made  by  the  murmuring  of  a  rising  breeze, 
— and  then  all  was  still  as  death. 

The  Coquette  lay  with  her  head  to  seaward,  the 
stern  necessarily  pointing  towards  the  land.  The 
distance  from  the  latter  was  less  than  a  mile,  and 
the  direction  of  the  ship's  hull  was  caused  by  (he 
course  of  the  heavy  ground-swell,  which  incessantly 
colled  the  waters  on  the  wide  beach  of  the  island 


454  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

The  head-gear  lay  in  the  way  of  the  dim  view,  and 
Ludlow  walked  out  on  the  bowsprit,  in  order  that 
nothing  should  lie  between  him  and  the  part  of  th6 
oce  in  he  wished  to  study.  Here  he  had  not  stood 
a  minute,  when  he  caught,  first  a  confused  and  then 
a  more  distinct  glimpse  of  a  line  of  dark  objects,  ad 
vancing  slowly  towards  the  ship.  Assured  of  th 
position  of  his  enemy,  he  returned  in-board,  and  de 
scended  among  his  people.  In  another  moment  he 
was  again  on  the  forecastle,  across  which  he  paced 
leisurely,  and,  to  all  appearance,  with  the  calmness 
of  one  who  enjoyed  the  refreshing  coolness  of  the 
night. 

At  the  distance  of  a  hundred  fathoms,  the  dusky 
line  of  boats  paused,  and  began  to  change  its  order 
At  that  instant  the  first  puffs  of  the  land  breeze 
were  felt,  and  the  stern  of  the  ship  made  a  gentle 
inclination  seaward. 

"  Help  her  with  the  mizen  !  Let  fall  the  topsail !" 
whispered  the  young  captain  to  those  beneath  him. 
Ere  another  moment,  the  flap  of  the  loosened  sail 
was  heard.  The  ship  swung  still  further,  and  Ludlow 
stamped  on  the  deck. 

A  round  fiery  light  shot  beyond  the  martingale, 
and  the  smoke  rolled  along  the  sea,  outstripped  by  a 
crowd  of  missiles  that  were  hissing  across  the  water. 
A  shout,  in  which  command  was  mingled  with  shrieks, 
followed,  and  then  oar-blades  were  heard  dashing  the 
water  aside,  regardless  of  concealment.  The  ocean 
lighted,  and  three  or  four  boat-guns  returned  the 
fatal  discharge  from  the  ship.  Ludlow  had  not  spoken. 
Still  alone  on  his  ele'  ated  and  exposed  post,  he 
watched  the  effects  of  both  fires,  with  a  commander* 
coolness.  The  smile  that  struggled  about  his  com 
pressed  mouth,  when  the  momentary  confusion  among 
the  boats  betrayed  the  success  of  his  own  attack, 
had  been  wild  and  exulting;  but  when  he  heard  the 
rending  of  the  plank  beneath  him,  the  heavy  groans 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  455 

that  succeeded,  and  the  rattling  of  lighter  objects 
that  were  scattered  by  the  shot,  as  it  passed  with 
lessened  force  along  the  deck  of  his  ship,  it  became 
fierce  and  resentful. 

"  Let  them  have  it!"  he  shouted,  in  a  clear  ani 
mating  voice,  that  assured  the  people  of  his  presence 
and  his  care.  "  Show  them  the  humor  of  an  Eng 
lishman's  sleep,  my  lads !  Speak  to  them,  tops  and 
decks!" 

The  order  was  obeyed.  The  remaining  bow-gun 
was  fired,  and  the  discharge  of  all  the  Coquette's 
musketry  and  blunderbusses  followed.  A  crowd  of 
boats  came  sweeping  under  the  bowsprit  of  the  ship 
at  the  same  moment,  and  then  arose  the  clamor  and 
shouts  of  the  boarders. 

The  succeeding  minutes  were  full  of  confusion, 
and  of  devoted  exertion.  Twice  were  the  head  and 
bowsprit  of  the  ship  filled  with  dark  groups  of  men, 
whose  grim  visages  were  only  visible  by  the  pistol's 
flash,  and  as  often  were  they  cleared  by  the  pike 
and  bayonet.  A  third  effort  was  more  successful,  and 
the  tread  of  the  assailants  was  heard  on  the  deck  of 
the  forecastle.  The  struggle  was  but  momentary, 
though  many  fell,  and  the  narrow  arena  was  soon 
slippery  with  blood.  The  Boulognese  mariner  was 
foremost  among  his  countrymen,  and  at  that  despe 
rate  emergency  Ludlow  and  Trysail  fought  in  the 
common  herd.  Numbers  prevailed,  and  it  was  for 
tunate  for  the  commander  of  the  Coquette,  that  the 
sudden  recoil  of  a  human  body  that  fell  upon  him, 
drove  him  from  his  footing  to  the  deck  beneath. 

Recovering  from  the  fall,  the  young  captain  cheer- 
d  his  men  by  his  voice,  and  was  answered  by  the 
leep-mouthed  shouts,  which  an  excited  seaman  is 
ever  ready  to  deliver,  even  to  the  death. 

"  Rally  in  the  gangways,  and  defy  them  !"  was  the 
animated  cry — "  Rally  in  the  gangways,  hearts  of 
oak."  was  returned  by  Trysail,  in  a  ready  but  weak- 


456  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

ened  voice.  The  men  obeyed,  and  Ludlow  saw  that 
he  could  still  muster  a  force  capable  of  resistance. 

Both  parties  for  a  moment  paused.  The  fire  of  the 
top  annoyed  the  boarders,  and  the  defendants  hesi 
tated  to  advance.  But  the  rush  from  both  was  com 
mon,  and  a  fierce  encounter  occurred  at  the  foot  of 
the  foremast.  The  crowd  thickened  in  the  rear  of 
the  French,  and  one  of  their  number  no  sooner  fell 
than  another  filled  his  place.  The  English  receded, 
and  Ludlow,  extricating  himself  from  the  mass,  re 
tired  to  the  quarter-deck. 

"  Give  way,  men !"  he  again  shouted,  so  clear  and 
steady,  as  to  be  heard  above  the  cries  and  execra 
tions  of  the  fight.  "  Into  the  wings ;  down, — between 
the  guns — down — to  your  covers!" 

The  English  disappeared,  as  if  by  magic.  Some 
leaped  upon  the  ridge-ropes,  others  sought  the  pro 
tection  of  the  guns,  and  many  went  through  the 
hatches.  At  that  moment  Ludlow  made  his  most 
desperate  effort.  Aided  by  the  gunner,  he  applied 
matches  to  the  two  swivels,  which  had  been  placed 
in  readiness  for  a  last  resort.  The  deck  was  envelop 
ed  in  smoke,  and,  when  the  vapor  lifted,  the  forward 
part  of  the  ship  was  as  clear  as  if  man  had  never 
trod  it.  All  who  had  not  fallen,  had  vanished. 

A  shout,  and  a  loud  hurrah !  brought  back  the 
defendants,  and  Ludlow  headed  a  charge  upon  the 
top-gallant-forecastle,  again,  in  person.  A  few  of 
the  assailants  showed  themselves  from  behind  covers 
on  the  deck,  and  the  struggle  was  renewed.  Glaring 
balls  of  fire  sailed  over  the  heads  of  the  combatants, 
and  fell  among  the  throng  in  the  rear.  Ludlow  saw 
the  danger,  and  he  endeavored  to  urge  his  people 
on  to  regain  the  bow-guns,  one  of  which  was  known 
to  be  loaded.  But  the  explosion  of  a  grenade  on 
deck,  and  in  his  rear,  was  followed  by  a  shock  in  the 
hold,  that  threatened  to  force  the  bottom  out  of  the 
vessel  The  alarmed  and  weakened  crew  began  ta 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  457 

waver,  and  as  a  fresh  attack  of  grenades  was  fol 
lowed  by  a  fierce  rally,  in  which  the  assailants 
brought  up  fifty  men  in  a  body  from  their  boats. 
Ludlow  found  himself  compelled  to  retire  amid  the 
retreating  mass  of  his  own  crew. 

The  defence  now  assumed  the  character  of  hope 
less  but  desperate  resistance.  The  cries  of  the  enemy 
were  more  and  more  clamorous ;  and  they  succeeded 
in  nearly  silencing  the  top,  by  a  heavy  fire  of  mus 
ketry  established  on  the  bowsprit  and  sprit-sail-yard. 

Events  passed  much  faster  than  they  can  be  re 
lated.  The  enemy  were  in  possession  of  all  the  for 
ward  part  of  the  ship  to  her  fore-hatches,  but  into 
these  young  Hopper  had  thrown  himself,  with  half- 
a-dozen  men,  and,  aided  by  a  brother  midshipman  in 
the  launch,  backed  by  a  few  followers,  they  still  held 
the  assailants  at  bay.  Ludlow  cast  an  eye  behind 
him,  and  began  to  think  of  selling  his  life  as  dearly 
as  possible  in  the  cabins.  That  glance  was  arrested 
by  the  sight  of  the  malign  smile  of  the  sea-greer 
lady,  as  the  gleaming  face  rose  above  the  tatfrail 
A  dozen  dark  forms  leaped  upon  the  poop,  and  ther 
arese  a  voice  that  sent  every  tone  it  uttered  to  h' 
heart 

"  Abide  the  shock  ! "  was  the  shout  of  those  who 
came  to  the  succor;  and  "abide  the  shock!"  was 
echoed  by  the  crew.  The  mysterious  image  glided 
along  the  deck,  and  Ludlow  knew  the  athletic  frame 
that  brushed  through  the  throng  at  its  side. 

There  was  little  noise  in  the  onset,  save  the  groans 
of  the  sufferers.  It  endured  but  a  moment,  but  it 
was  a  moment  that  resembled  the  passage  of  a  whirl 
wind.  The  defendants  knew  that  they  were  succored, 
and  the  assailants  recoiled  before  so  unexpected  a 
foe.  The  few  that  were  caught  beneath  the  fore 
castle  were  mercilessly  slain,  and  those  above  were 
swept  from  their  post  like  chaff  drifting  in  a  gale. 
The  living  and  the  dead  were  heard  falling  alike 
2O 


458  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

into  the  sea,  and  in  an  unconceivably  short  space  of 
time,  the  decks  of  the  Coquette  were  free.  A  solitary 
enemy  still  hesitated  on  the  bowsprit.  A  powerful 
and  active  frame  leaped  along  the  spar,  and  though 
the  blow  was  not  seen,  its  effects  were  visible,  as  the 
victim  tumbled  helplessly  into  the  ocean. 

The  hurried  dash  of  oars  followed,  and  before  the 
defendants   had   time  to  assure  themselves  of  th 
completeness  of  their  success,  the  gloomy  void  of  the 
surrounding  ocean  had  swallowed  up  the  boats. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

*  That  face  of  his  I  do  remember  well ; 
Yet,  \vhen  I  saw  it  last,  it  was  besmear'd 
As  fa'ack  as  Vulcan,  in  the  smoke  of  war." 

WHAT  YOU  WILL. 

FROM  the  moment  when  the  Coquette  fired  her 
first  gun,  to  the  moment  when  the  retiring  boats  be 
came  invisible,  was  just  twenty  minutes.  Of  this 
time,  less  than  half  had  been  occupied  by  the  inci 
dents  related,  in  the  ship.  Short  as  it  was  in  truth, 
it  seemed  to  all  engaged  but  an  instant.  The  alarm 
was  over,  the  sound  of  the  oars  had  ceased,  and  still 
the  survivors  stood  at  their  posts,  as  if  expecting  the 
attack  to  be  renewed.  Then  came  those  persona 
thoughts,  which  had  been  suspended  in  the  fearful 
exigency  of  such  a  struggle.  The  wounded  began 
to  feel  their  pain,  and  to  be  sensible  of  the  danger 
of  their  injuries ;  while  the  few,  who  had  escaped 
unhuit,  turned  a  friendly  care  on  their  shipmates. 
Ludlow  as  often  happens  with  the  bravest  and  most 
exposed,  had  escaped  without  a  scratch ;  but  he  saw 
by  the  drooping  forms  around  him,  which  were  no 


THE    WATER- WITCH  459 

.onger  sustained  by  the  excitement  of  battle,  that 
his  triumph  was  dearly  purchased. 

"  Send  Mr.  Trysail  to  me  ;"  he  said,  in  a  tone  that 
hid  little  of  a  victor's  exultation.  "The  land  breeze 
has  made,  and  we  will  endeavor  to  improve  it,  and 
get  inside  the  cape,  lest  the  morning  light  give  us 
more  of  these  Frenchmen." 

The  order  for  *  Mr.  Trysail !'  *  the  captain  calls 
the  master!'  passed  in  a  low  call  from  mouth  to 
mouth,  but  it  was  unanswered.  A  seaman  told  the 
expecting  young  commander,  that  the  surgeon  de 
sired  his  presence  forward.  A  gleaming  of  lights  and 
a  little  group  at  the  foot  of  the  foremast,  was  a  beacon 
not  to  be  mistaken.  The  weatherbeaten  master 
was  in  the  agony ;  and  his  medical  attendant  had  just 
risen  from  a  fruitless  examination  of  his  wounds,  as 
Ludlow  approached. 

"I  hope  the  hurt  is  not  serious?"  hurriedly  whis 
pered  the  alarmed  young  sailor  to  the  surgeon,  who 
was  coolly  collecting  his  implements,  in  order  to  ad 
minister  to  some  more  promising  subject.  "  Neglect 
nothing  that  your  art  can  suggest." 

"  The  case  is  desperate,  Captain  Ludlow,"  return 
ed  the  phlegmatic  surgeon  ;  "  but  if  you  have  a  taste 
for  such  things,  there  is  as  beautiful  a  case  for  am 
putation  promised  in  the  fore-topman  whom  I  have 
had  sent  below,  as  offers  once  in  a  whole  life  of  ac 
tive  practice !" 

"  Go,  go — "  interrupted  Ludlow,  half  pushing  the 
unmoved  man  of  blood  away,  as  he  spoke ;  "  go,  then, 
where  your  services  are  needed." 

The  other  cast  a  glance  around  him,  reproved  his 
attendant,  in  a  sharp  tone,  for  unnecessarily  exposing 
the  blade  of  some  ferocious-looking  instrument  to  the 
dew,  and  departed. 

"  Would  to  God,  that  some  portion  of  these  in 
juries  had  befallen  those  who  are  younger  and 
stronger ! "  murmured  the  captain,  as  he  leaned  over 


460  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

the  dying  master.     "  Can  1  do  aught  to  relieve  thy 
mind,  rny  old  and  worthy  shipmate?" 

"  1  have  had  my  misgivings,  since  we  have  dealt 
with  witchcraft!"  returned  Trysail,  whose  voice  the 
rattling  of  the  throat  had  already  nearly  silenced 
"  I  have  had  misgivings — but  no  matter.  Take  care 
of  the  ship — I  have  been  thinking  of  our  people— 
you'll  have  to  cut — they  can  never  lift  the  anchor — 
the  wind  is  here  at  north." 

"All  this  is  ordered.  Trouble  thyself  no  further 
about  the  vessel ;  she  shall  be  taken  care  of,  I  prom 
ise  you. — Speak  of  thy  wife,  and  of  thy  wishes  in  Eng 
land." 

"  God  bless  Mrs.  Trysail !  She'll  get  a  pension,  and 
I  hope  contentment !  You  must  give  the  reef  a  good, 
berth,  in  rounding  Montauk — and  you'll  naturally 
wish  to  find  the  anchors  again,  when  the  coast  is 
clear — if  you  can  find  it  in  your  conscience,  say  a 
good  word  of  poor  old  Ben  Trysail,  in  the  dis 
patches " 

The  voice  of  the  master  sunk  to  a  whisper,  and 
became  inaudible.  Ludlow  thought  he  strove  to 
speak  again,  and  he  bent  his  ear  to  his  mouth. 

"  I  say — the  weather-main-swifter  and  both  back 
stays  are  gone;  look  to  the  spars,  for — for — there  are 
sometimes — heavy  puffs  at  night — in  the  Americas !" 

The  last  heavy  respiration  succeeded,  after  which 
came  the  long  silence  of  death.  The  body  was  re 
moved  to  the  poop,  and  Ludlow,  with  a  saddened 
heart  turned  to  duties  that  this  accident  rendered 
still  more  imperative. 

Notwithstanding  the  heavy  loss,  and  the  originally 
weakened  state  of  her  crew,  the  sails  of  the  Coquette 
were  soon  spread,  and  the  ship  moved  away  in  silence, 
as  if  sorrowing  for  those  who  had  fallen  at  her  an 
chorage  When  the  vessel  was  fairly  in  motion,  her 
captain  ascended  to  the  poop,  in  order  to  command 
a  clearer  view  of  all  around  him,  as  well  as  to  profit 


THE   WATER- WITCH.  461 

oy  the  situation  to  arrange  his  plans  for  the  future 
tie  found  he  had  been  anticipated  by  the  free-trader. 

"  I  owe  my  ship — I  may  say  my  life,  since  in  such 
a  conflict  they  would  have  gone  together,  to  thy 
i;ccor  I"  said  the  young  commander,  as  he  approach- 
e<i  the  motionless  form  of  the  smuggler.  "  Without 
'/;,  Queen  Anne  would  have  lost  a  cruiser,  and  the 
/lag  of  England  a  portion  of  its  well-earned  glory/' 

"  May  thy  royal  mistress  prove  as  ready  to  remem 
ber  her  friends,  in  emergencies,  as  mine.  In  good 
truth,  there  was  little  time  to  lose,  and  trust  me,  we 
well  understood  the  extremity.  If  we  were  tardy, 
it  was  because  whale-boats  were  to  be  brought  from 
a  distance ;  for  the  land  lies  between  my  brigantine 
and  the  sea." 

"  He  who  came  so  opportunely,  and  acted  so  well, 
needs  no  apology." 

"Captain  Ludlow,.are  we  friends?" 

"  It  cannot  be  otherwise.  All  minor  considera 
tions  must  be  lost  in  such  a  service.  If  it  is  your  in 
tention  to  push  this  illegal  trade  further,  on  the  coast, 
I  must  seek  another  station." 

"  Not  so. — Remain,  and  do  credit  to  your  flag,  and 
the  land  of  your  birth.  I  have  long  thought  that 
this  is  the  last  time  the  keel  of  the  Water- Witch 
will  ever  plow  the  American  seas.  Before  I  quit 
you,  I  would  have  an  interview  with  the  merchant. 
A  worse  man  might  have  fallen,  and  just  now  even  a 
better  man  might  be  spared.  I  hope  no  harm  has 
come  to  him?" 

"  He  has  shown  the  steadiness  of  his  Holland  line 
age,  to-day.  During  the  boarding,  he  was  useful  and 
cool." 

"  It  is  well.     Let  the  Alderman  be  summoned  to 

the  deck,  for  my  time  is  limited,  and  I  have  much  to 
Ra  v » 

bdV 

The  Skimmer  paused,  for  at  that  moment  a  fierce 
light  glared  upon  the  ocean,  the  ship,  and  all  in  it. 
2  O  2 


462  THE    WATER- WITCH 

The  two  seamen  gazed  at  each  other  in  silence,  ana 
both  recoiled,  as  men  recede  before  an  unexpected 
and  fearful  attack.  But  a  bright  and  wavering  light, 
which  rose  out  of  the  forward  hatch  of  the  vessel, 
explained  all.  At  the  same  moment,  the  deep  still 
ness  which,  since  the  bustle  of  making  sail  had  ceased, 
pervaded  the  ship,  was  broken  by  the  appalling  cry 
of  "Fire!" 

The  alarm  which  brings  the  blood  in  the  swiftest 
current  to  a  seaman's  heart,  was  now  heard  in  the 
depths  of  the  vessel.  The  smothered  sounds  below, 
the  advancing  uproar,  and  the  rush  on  deck,  with  the 
awful  summons  in  the  open  air,  succeeded  each  other 
with  the  rapidity  of  lightning.  A  dozen  voices  re 
peated  the  word  *  the  grenade!'  proclaiming  in  a 
breath  both  the  danger  and  the  cause.  But  an  in 
stant  before,  the  swelling  canvas,  the  dusky  spars, 
and  the  faint  lines  of  the  cordage,  were  only  to  be 
traced  by  the  glimmering  light  of  the  stars ;  and  now 
the  whole  hamper  of  the  ship  was  the  more  conspicu 
ous,  from  the  obscure  back-ground  against  which  it 
was  drawn  in  distinct  lines.  The  sight  was  fearfully 
beautiful; — beautiful,  for  it  showed  the  symmetry 
and  fine  outlines  of  the  vessel's  rig,  resembling  the 
effect  of  a  group  of  statuary  seen  by  torch-light, — 
and  fearful,  since  the  dark  void  beyond  seemed  to  de 
clare  their  isolated  and  helpless  state. 

There  was  one  breathless,  eloquent  moment,  in 
whi.h  all  were  seen  gazing  at  the  grand  spectacle  in 
mut?  awe, — and  then  a  voice  rose,  clear,  distinct, 
and  commanding,  above  the  sullen  sound  of  the  tor 
rent  of  fire,  which  was  roaring  among  the  avenues 
of  tl  e  ship. 

'*  Call  all  hands  to  extinguish  fire  !  Gentlemen,  to 
your  stations.  Be  cool,  men  ;  and  be  silent !" 

There  was  a  calmness  and  an  authority  in  the 
tones  of  the  young  commander,  that  curbed  the  im 
petuous  feelings  of  the  startled  crew.  Accustomed 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  463 

to  obedience,  and  trained  to  order,  each  man  roke 
out  of  his  trance,  and  eagerly  commenced  th".  dis 
charge  of  his  allotted  duty.  At  that  instant,  an  erect 
and  unmoved  form  stood  on  the  combings  of  the  main- 
hatch.  A  hand  was  raised  in  the  air,  and  the  call, 
which  came  from  the  deep  chest,  was  like  that  of 
one  used  to  speak  in  the  tempest. 

"Where  are  my  brigantines '? "  it  said — "Come 
away  there,  my  sea-dogs;  wet  the  light  sails,  and 
follow!" 

A  group  of  grave  and  submissive  manners  gath 
ered  about  the  *  Skimmer  of  the  Seas,'  at  the  sound 
<)f  his  voice.  Glancing  an  eye  over  them,  as  if  to 
scan  their  quality  and  number,  he  smiled,  with  a  look 
in  which  high  daring  and  practised  self-command 
was  blended  with  a  constitutional  gaite  de  cceur. 

"  One  deck,  or  two  !" — he  added  ;  "  what  avails  a 
plank,  more  or  less,  in  an  explosion  ? — Follow  !" 

The  free-trader  and  his  people  disappeared  in  the 
interior  of  the  ship.  An  interval  of  great  and  reso 
lute  exertion  succeeded.  Blankets,  sails,  and  every 
thing  which  offered,  and  which  promised  to  be  of 
use,  were  wetted  and  cast  upon  the  flames.  The 
engine  was  brought  to  bear,  and  the  ship  was  deluged 
with  water.  But  the  confined  space,  with  the  heat 
and  smoke,  rendered  it  impossible  to  penetrate  to 
those  parts  of  the  vessel  where  the  conflagration 
raged.  The  ardor  of  the  men  abated  as  hope  lessened, 
and  after  half  an  hour  of  fruitless  exertion,  Ludlow 
saw,  with  pain,  that  his  assistants  began  to  yield  to 
the  inextinguishable  principle  of  nature.  The  ap 
pearance  of  the  Skimmer  on  deck,  followed  by  all 
his  people,  destroyed  hope,  and  every  effort  ceased 
as  suddenly  as  it  had  commenced. 

"Think  of  your  wounded;"  whispered  the  free 
trader,  with  a  steadiness  no  danger  could  disturb 
*  We  stand  on  a  J aging  volcano!" 


464  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

"  I  have  ordered  the  gunner  to  drown  the  rnaga* 
zine." 

"  He  was  too  late.  The  hold  of  the  ship  is  a  fiery 
furnace.  I  heard  him  fall  among  the  store-rooms, 
and  it  surpassed  the  power  of  man  to  give  the  wretch 
succor.  The  grenade  has  fallen  near  some  combus 
tibles,  and,  painful  as  it  is  to  part  with  a  ship  so  loved 
Ludlow,  thou  wilt  meet  the  loss  like  a  man !  Think 
of  thy  wounded ;  my  boats  are  still  hanging  at  the 
stern." 

Ludlow  reluctantly,  but  firmly,  gave  the  order  to 
hear  the  wounded  to  the  boats.  This  was  an  ardu 
ous  and  delicate  duty.  The  smallest  boy  in  the  ship 
knew  the  whole  extent  of  the  danger,  and  that  a 
moment,  by  the  explosion  of  the  powder,  might  pre 
cipitate  them  all  into  eternity.  The  deck  forward 
was  getting  too  hot  to  be  endured,  and  there  were 
places  even  in  which  the  beams  had  given  symptoms 
of  yielding. 

But  the  poop,  elevated  still  above  the  fire,  offered 
a  momentary  refuge.  Thither  all  retired,  while  the 
weak  and  wounded  were  lowered,  with  the  caution 
circumstances  would  permit,  into  the  whale-boats  of 
the  smugglers. 

Ludlow  stood  at  one  ladder  and  the  free-trader  at 
the  other,  in  order  to  be  certain  that  none  proved 
recreant  in  so  trying  a  moment.  Near  them  were 
Alida,  Scadrift,  and  the  Alderman,  with  the  attend 
ants  of  the  former. 

It  seemed  an  age,  before  this  humane  and  tender 
duty  was  performed.  At  length  the  cry  of  "  all  in  I" 
was  uttered,  in  a  manner  to  betray  the  extent  of 
the  self-command  that  had  been  necessary  to  effect  it. 

"  Now,  Alida,  we  may  think  of  thee ! "  said  Lud 
low,  turning  to  the  spot  occupied  by  the  silent  heiress. 

"  And  you !"  she  said,  hesitating  to  move. 

"  Duty  demands  that  I  should  be  the  last " 

A  sharp  explosion  beneath,  and  fragments  of  fire 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  465 

flying  upwards  through  a  hatch,  interrupted  his 
words.  Plunges  into  the  sea,  and  a  rush  of  the  people 
to  the  boats,  followed.  All  order  and  authority  were 
completely  lost,  in  the  instinct  of  life.  In  vain  did 
Ludlow  call  on  his  men  to  be  cool,  and  to  wait  for 
those  who  were  still  above.  His  words  were  lost,  in 
the  uproar  of  clamorous  voices.  For  a  moment,  it 
seemed,  however,  as  if  the  Skimmer  of  the  Seas  would 
overcome  the  confusion.  Throwing  himself  on  a 
ladder,  he  glided  into  the  bows  of  one  of  the  boats, 
and,  holding  by  the  ropes  with  a  vigorous  arm,  he 
resisted  the  efforts  of  all  the  oars  and  boat-hooks, 
while  he  denounced  destruction  on  him  who  dared  to 
quit  the  ship.  Had  not  the  two  crews  been  mingled, 
the  high  authority  and  determined  mien  of  the  free 
trader  would  have  prevailed ;  but  while  some  were 
disposed  to  obey,  others  raised  the  cry  of  "  throw  the 
dealer  in  witchcraft  into  the  sea  !" — Boat-hooks  were 
already  pointed  at  his  breast,  and  the  horrors  of  the 
fearful  moment  were  about  to  be  increased  by  the 
violence  of  a  mutinous  contention,  when  a  second  ex 
plosion  nerved  the  arms  of  the  rowers  to  madness. 
With  a  common  and  desperate  effort,  they  overcame 
all  resistance.  Swinging  off  upon  the  ladder,  the 
furious  seaman  saw  the  boat  glide  from  his  grasp, 
and  depart.  The  execration  that  was  uttered,  be 
neath  the  stern  of  the  Coquette,  was  deep  and  pow 
erful  ;  but,  in  another  moment,  the  Skimmer  stood 
on  the  poop,  calm  and  undejected,  in  the  centre  of 
the  deserted  group. 

"  The  explosion  of  a  few  of  the  officers'  pistols  has 
frightened   the   miscreants;"    he    said,    cheerfully 
"  But  hope  is  not  yet  lost ! — they  linger  in  the  dis 
tance,  and  may  return  !" 

The  sight  of  the  helpless  party  on  the  poop,  and 
the  consciousness  of  being  less  exposed  themselves, 
had  indeed  arrested  the  progress  of  the  fugitives. 
Still,  selfishness  predominated;  and  while  most  re- 


466  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

gretted  their  danger,  none  but  the  young  and  un 
heeded  midshipmen,  who  were  neither  of  an  age  nor 
of  a  rank  to  wield  sufficient  authority,  proposed  to 
return.  There  was  little  argument  necessary  to 
show  that  the  perils  increased  at  each  moment ;  and 
finding  that  no  other  expedient  remained,  the  gallan 
youths  encouraged  the  men  to  pull  towards  the  land 
intending  themselves  to  return  instantly  to  the  as 
sistance  of  their  commander  and  his  friends.  The 
oars  dashed  into  the  water  again,  and  the  retiring 
hoats  were  soon  lost  to  view  in  the  body  of  darkness. 

While  the  fire  had  been  raging  within,  another 
element,  without,  had  aided  to  lessen  hope  for  those 
who  were  abandoned.  The  wind  from  the  land  had 
continued  to  rise,  and,  during  the  time  lost  in  useless 
exertion,  the  ship  had  been  permitted  to  run  nearly 
before  it.  When  hope  was  gone,  the  helm  had  been 
deserted,  and  as  all  the  lower  sails  had  been  hauled 
up  to  avoid  the  flames,  the  vessel  had  drifted,  many 
minutes,  nearly  dead  to  leeward.  The  mistaken 
youths,  who  had  not  attended  to  these  circumstances, 
were  already  miles  from  that  beach  they  hoped  to 
reach  so  soon ;  and  ere  the  boats  had  separated  from 
the  ship  five  minutes,  they  were  hopelessly  asunder. 
Ludlow  had  early  thought  of  the  expedient  of  strand 
ing  the  vessel,  as  the  means  of  saving  her  people; 
but  his  better  knowledge  of  their  position,  soon  showed 
him  the  utter  futility  of  the  attempt. 

Of  the  progress  of  the  flames  beneath,  the  mari 
ners  could  only  judge  by  circumstances.  The  Skim 
mer  glanced  his  eye  about  him,  on  regaining  the 
poop,  and  appeared  to  scan  the  amount  and  quality 
of  the  physical  force  that  was  still  at  their  disposal. 
He  saw  that  the  Alderman,  the  faithful  Francois, 
and  two  of  his  own  seamen,  with  four  of  the  petty 
officers  of  the  ship,  remained.  The  six  latter,  even 
in  that  moment  of  desperation,  had  calmly  refused  t« 
de%irt  their  officers. 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  467 

"The  flames  are  in  the  state-rooms!"  he  whis 
pered  to  Ludlow. 

"  Not  further  aft,  I  think,  than  the  berths  of  the 
midshipmen — else  we  should  hear  more  pistols." 

"  True — they  are  fearful  signals  to  let  us  kn.ow 
the  progress  of  the  fire ! — our  resource  is  a  raft." 

Ludlow  looked  as  if  he  despaired  of  the  mepns 
but,  concealing  the  discouraging  fear,  he  answered 
cheerfully  in  the  affirmative.  The  orders  weie  in 
stantly  given,  and  all  on  board  gave  themselves  to 
the  task,  heart  and  hand.  The  danger  was  one  that 
admitted  of  no  ordinary  or  half-conceived  expedi 
ents;  but,  in  such  an  emergency,  it  required  all  the 
readiness  of  their  art,  and  even  the  greatness  of  that 
conception  which  is  the  property  of  genius.  All  dis 
tinctions  of  rank  and  authority  had  ceased,  except 
as  deference  was  paid  to  natural  qualities  and  the 
intelligence  of  experience.  Under  such  circum 
stances,  the  '  Skimmer  of  the  Seas'  took  the  lead; 
and  though  Ludlow  caught  his  ideas  with  professional 
quickness,  it  was  the  mind  of  the  free-trader  that 
controlled,  throughout,  the  succeeding  exertions  of 
that  fearful  night. 

The  cheek  of  Alida  was  blanched  to  a  deadly 
paleness ;  but  there  rested  about  the  bright  and  wild 
eyes  of  Seadrift,  an  expression  of  supernatural  reso 
lution. 

When  the  crew  abandoned  the  hope  of  extin 
guishing  the  flames,  they  had  closed  all  the  hatches, 
to  retard  the  crisis  as  much  as  possible.  Here  and 
there,  however,  little  torch-like  lights  were  beginning 
to  show  themselves  through  the  planks,  and  the  whole 
deck,  forward  of  the  main-mast,  was  already  in  a 
critical  and  sinking  state.  One  or  two  of  the  beams 
had  failed,  but,  as  yet,  the  form  of  the  construction 
was  preserved.  Still  the  seamen  distrusted  the 
treacherous  footing,  and,  had  the  heat  permitted  the 
experiment,  they  would  have  shrunk  from  a  risk 


468  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

which  at  any  unexpected  moment  might  commit 
them  to  the  fiery  furnace  beneath. 

The  smoke  ceased,  and  a  clear,  poweiful  light 
illuminated  the  ship  to  her  trucks.  In  consequence 
of  the  care  and  exertions  of  her  people,  the  sails 
and  masts  were  yet  untouched ;  and  as  the  graceful 
canvas  swelled  with  the  breeze,  it  still  urged  the 
blazing  hull  through  the  water. 

The  forms  of  the  Skimmer  and  his  assistants  were 
visible,  in  the  midst  of  the  gallant  gear,  perched  on 
the  giddy  yards.  Seen  by  that  light,  with  his  pecu 
liar  attire,  his  firm  and  certain  step,  and  his  resolute 
air,  the  free-trader  resembled  some  fancied  sea-god, 
who,  secure  in  his  immortal  immunities,  had  come  to 
act  his  part  in  that  awful  but  exciting  trial  of  hardi 
hood  and  skill.  Seconded  by  the  common  men,  he 
was  employed  in  cutting  the  canvas  from  the  yards 
Sail  after  sail  fell  upon  the  deck,  and,  in  an  incredi 
bly  short  space  of  time,  the  whole  of  the  fore-mast 
was  najted  to  its  spars  and  rigging. 

In  the  mean  time,  Ludlow,  assisted  by  the  Alder- 
Hfan  and  Francois,  had  not  been  idle  below.  Passing 
forward  between  the  empty  ridge-ropes,  lanyard  after 
lanyard  parted  under  the  blows  of  their  little  board 
ing-axes.  The  mast  now  depended  on  the  strength 
of  the  wood  and  the  support  of  a  single  back-stay. 

"  Lay  down  !"  shouted  Ludlow.  "  All  is  gone  aft, 
but  this  stay!" 

The  Skimmer  leaped  upon  the  firm  rope,  followed 
by  all  aloft,  and,  gliding  downwards,  he  was  instantly 
in  the  hammock-cloths.  A  crash  followed  their  de 
scent,  and  an  explosion,  which  caused  the  whole  of 
the  burning  fabric  to  tremble  to  its  centre,  seemed 
to  announce  the  end  of  all.  Even  the  free-trader 
recoiled  before  the  horrible  din  ;  but  when  he  stood 
near  Seadrift  and  the  heiress  again,  there  was  cheer 
fulness  in  his  tones,  and  a  look  of  high,  and  even  >f 
gay  resolution,  in  his  firm  countenance 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  469 

"  Tho  deck  has  failed  forwards,"  he  said,  '*  arid  our 
artillcnr  is  beginning  to  utter  fearful  signal-guns !  Be 
of  cheer ! — the  magazine  of  a  ship  lies  deep,  and 
many  sheathed  bulk-heads  still  protect  us." 

Another  discharge  from  a.  heated  gun,  however 
proclaimed  the  rapid  progress  of  the  flames.  Th« 
fire  broke  out  of  the  interior  anew,  and  the  fore 
mast  kindled. 

"  There  must  be  an  end  of  this !"  said  Alida, 
clasping  her  hands  in  a  terror  that  could  not  be  con 
trolled.  "  Save  yourselves,  if  possible,  you  who  have 
strength  and  courage,  and  leave  us  to  the  mercy  of 
him  whose  eye  is  over  all !" 

"  Go  ;"  added  Seadrift,  whose  sex  could  no  longer 
be  concealed.  "  Human  courage  can  do  no  more : 
leave  us  to  die  ! " 

The  looks,  that  were  returned  to  these  sad  re 
quests,  were  melancholy  but  unmoved.  The  Skim 
mer  caught  a  rope,  and  still  holding  it  in  his  hand, 
he  descended  to  the  quarter-deck,  on  which  he  at 
first  trusted  his  weight  with  jealous  caution.  Then 
looking  up,  he  smiled  encouragingly,  and  said, — 
"  Where  a  gun  still  stands,  there  is  no  danger  for  the 
weight  of  a  man!" 

"  It  is  our  only  resource ;"  cried  Ludlow,  imitating 
his  example.  "  On,  my  men,  while  the  beams  will 
still  hold  us." 

In  a  moment,  all  were  on  the  quarter-deck,  though 
the  excessive  heat  rendered  it  impossible  to  remain 
stationary  an  instant.  A  gun  on  each  side  was  run 
in,  its  tackles  loosened,  and  its  muzzle  pointed  to 
wards  the  tottering,  unsupported,  but  still  uprigh 
bremast. 

"  Aim  at  the  elects ! "  said  Ludlow  to  the  Skimmer 
who  pointed  one  gun,  while  he  did  the  same  office  at 
the  other. 

"  Hold !"  cried  the  latter     "  Throw  in  shot—it  u 
2P 


470  THE   WATER- WITCH. 

out  the  chance  between  a  bursting  gun  arid  a  light- 
ed  magazine!" 

Additional  balls  were  introduced  into  each  piece, 
and  then,  with  steady  hands,  the  gallant  mariners 
applied  burning  brands  to  the  priming.  The  dis 
charges  were  simultaneous  and,  for  an  instant,  vol 
umes  of  smoke  rolled  along  the  deck  and  seemed  to 
triumph  over  the  conflagration.  The  lending  of 
wood  was  audible.  It  was  followed  by  a  sweeping 
noise  in  the  air,  and  the  fall  of  the  fore-mast,  with 
all  its  burden  of  spars,  into  the  sea.  The  motion  of 
the  ship  was  instantly  arrested,  and,  as  the  heavy 
timbers  were  still  attached  to  the  bowsprit  by  the 
forward  stays,  her  head  came  to  the  wind,  whr,n 
the  remaining  topsails  flapped,  shivered,  and  took 
aback. 

The  vessel  was  now,  for  the  first  time  during  the 
fire,  stationary.  The  common  mariners  profited  by 
the  circumstance,  and,  darting  past  the  mounting 
flame  along  the  bulwarks,  they  gained  the  top 
gallant-forecastle,  which  though  heated  was  yet  un 
touched.  The  Skimmer  glanced  an  eye  about  him, 
and  seizing  Seadrift  by  the  waist,  as  if  the  mimic 
seaman  had  been  a  child,  he  pushed  forward  between 
the  ridge-ropes.  Ludlow  followed  with  Alida,  and 
the  others  intimated  their  example  in  the  best  man 
ner  they  could.  All  reached  the  head  of  the  ship  in 
safety;  though  Ludlow  had  been  driven  by  the 
flames  into  the  fore-channels,  and  thence  nearly  into 
the  sea. 

The  petty  officers  were  already  on  the  floating 
spars,  separating  them  from  each  other,  cutting  away 
the  unnecessary  weight  of  rigging,  bringing  the 
several  parts  of  the  wood  in  parallel  lines,  and  lash- 
*ng  them  anew.  Ever  and  anon,  these  rapid  move 
ments  were  quickened  by  one  of  those  fearful  signals 
from  the  officers'  berths,  which,  by  announcing  the 
progress  of  the  flames  beneath,  betrayed  theii  in- 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  471 

creasing  proximity  to  the  still-slumbering  volcano. 
The  boats  had  been  gone  an  hour,  and  yet  it  seemed, 
to  all  in  the  ship,  but  a  minute.  The  conflagration 
had,  for  the  last  ten  minutes,  advanced  with  renewed 
fury ;  and  the  whole  of  the  confined  flame,  which 
had  been  so  long  pent  in  the  depths  of  the  vessel 
now  glared  high  in  the  open  air. 

"  This  heat  can  no  longer  be  borne,"  said  Ludlow ; 
"  we  muat  to  our  raft,  for  breath." 

"To  the  raft  then!"  returned  the  cheerful  voice 
of  the  free-trader.  "  Haul  in  upon  your  fasts,  men, 
and  stand  by  to  receive  the  precious  freight." 

The  seamen  obeyed.  Alida  and  her  companions 
were  lowered  safely  to  the  place  prepared  for  their 
reception.  The  fore-mast  had  gone  over  the  side,  with 
all  its  spars  aloft ;  for  preparation  had  been  made, 
before  the  fire  commenced,  to  carry  sail  to  the  ut 
most,  in  order  to  escape  the  enemy.  The  skilful  and 
active  seamen,  directed  and  aided  by  Ludlow  and 
the  Skimmer,  had  made  a  simple  but  happy  disposi 
tion  of  those  boyant  materials  on  which  their  all 
now  depended.  In  settling  in  the  water,  the  yards, 
still  crossed,  had  happily  fallen  uppermost.  The 
booms  and  all  the  light  spars  had  been  floated  near 
the  top,  and  laid  across,  reaching  from  the  lower  to 
the  topsail-yard.  A  few  light  spars,  stowed  outboard, 
had  been  cut  away  and  added  to  the  number,  and 
the  whole  were  secured  with  the  readiness  and  in 
genuity  of  seamen.  On  the  first  alarm  of  fire,  some 
of  the  crew  had  seized  a  few  light  articles  that 
would  float,  and  rushed  to  the  head,  as  the  place 
most  remote  from  the  magazine,  in  the  blind  hope 
of  saving  life  by  swimming.  Most  of  these  articles 
had  been  deserted,  when  the  people  were  rallied  to 
exertion  by  their  officers.  A  couple  of  empty  shot- 
boxes  and  a  mess-chest  were  among  them,  and  on 
the  latter  were  seated  the  females,  while  the  former 
served  to  keep  their  feet  from  the  water.  As  the 


472  THE   WATER-WITCH. 

arrangement  of  the  spars  forced  the  principal  mast 
entirely  beneath  the  element,  and  the  ship  was  so 
small  as  to  need  little  artificial  work  in  her  masting, 
the  part  around  the  top,  which  contained  the  staging, 
was  scarcely  submerged.  Although  a  ton  in  weigh 
was  added  to  the  inherent  gravity  of  the  wood,  still 
s  the  latter  was  of  the  lightest  description,  and 
freed  as  much  as  possible  of  every  thing  that  was 
unnecessary  to  the  safety  of  those  it  supported,  the 
spars  floated  sufficiently  buoyant  for  the  temporary 
security  of  the  fugitives. 

"Cut  the  fast!"  said  Ludlow,  involuntarily  start 
ing  at  several  explosions  in  the  interior,  which  fol 
lowed  each  other  in  quick  succession,  and  which 
were  succeeded  by  one  which  sent  fragments  of  burn 
ing  wood  into  the  air.  "  Cut,  and  bear  the  raft  off  the 
ship ! — God  knows,  we  have  need  to  be  further 
asunder ! " 

"Cut  not!"  cried  the  half-frantic  Seadrift— "My 
brave  ! — my  devoted  ! " 

"  Is  safe ; — "  calmly  said  the  Skimmer,  appearing 
in  the  rattlings  of  the  main-rigging,  which  was  still 
untouched  by  the  fire — "  Cut  off  all !  I  stay  to  brace 
the  mizen-topsail  more  firmly  aback." 

The  duty  was  done,  and  for  a  moment  the  fine 
figure  of  the  free-trader  was  seen  standing  on  the 
edge  of  the  burning  ship,  looking  with  regret  at  the 
glowing  mass. 

"Tis  the  end  of  a  lovely  craft!"  he  said,  loud 
enough  to  be  heard  by  those  beneath.  Then  he  ap 
peared  in  the  air,  and  sunk  into  the  sea — "The  last 
signal  was  from  the  ward-room,"  added  the  dauntless 
and  dexterous  mariner,  as  he  rose  from  the  water, 
and,  shaking  the  brine  from  his  head,  he  took  his 
place  on  the  stage — "  Would  to  God  the  wind  would 
blow,  for  we  have  need  of  greater  distance !" 

The  precaution  the  free- trader  had  taken,  in  ad- 
iustiiw  the  sails,  was  not  without  its  use.  Motion 


473 

the  raft  had  none,  but  as  the  topsails  of  the  Coquette 
were  still  aback,  the  flaming  mass,  no  longer  arrested 
by  the  clogs  in  the  water,  began  slowly  to  separate 
from  the  floating  spars,  though  the  tottering  and  half- 
burnt  masts  threatened,  at  each  moment,  to  fall. 

Never  did  moments  seem  so  long,  as  those  whic 
succeeded.  Even  the  Skimmer  and  Ludlow  watched 
in  speechless  interest,  the  tardy  movements  of  the 
ship.  By  little  and  little,  she  receded ;  and,  after  ten 
minutes  of  intense  expectation,  the  seamen,  whose 
anxiety  had  increased  as  their  exertions  ended,  be 
gan  to  breathe  more  freely.  They  were  still  fear 
fully  near  the  dangerous  fabric,  but  destruction  from 
the  explosion  was  no  longer  inevitable.  The  flames 
began  to  glide  upwards,  and  then  the  heavens  ap 
peared  on  fire,  as  one  heated  sail  after  another  kin 
dled  and  flared  wildly  in  the  breeze. 

Still  the  stern  of  the  vessel  was  entire.  The  body 
of  the  master  was  seated  against  the  mizen-mast, 
and  even  the  stern  visage  of  the  old  seaman  was 
distinctly  visible,  under  the  broad  light  of  the  con 
flagration.  Ludlow  gazed  at  it  in  melancholy,  and 
for  a  time  he  ceased  to  think  of  his  ship,  while 
memory  dwelt,  in  sadness,  on  those  scenes  of  boyish 
happiness,  and  of  professional  pleasures,  in  which  his 
ancient  shipmate  had  so  largely  participated.  The 
roar  of  a  gun,  whose  stream  of  fire  flashed  nearly  to 
their  faces,  and  the  sullen  whistling  of  its  shot,  which 
crossed  the  raft,  failed  to  awaken  him  from  his  trance. 

"Stand  firm  to  the  mess-chest!"  half-whispered 
the  Skimmer,  motioning  to  his  companions  to  place 
themselves  in  attitudes  to  support  the  weaker  of  their 
party,  while,  with  sedulous  care,  he  braced  his  own 
athletic  person  in  a  manner  to  throw  all  of  its 
weight  and  strength  against  the  seat.  "  Stand  firm, 
and  be  ready!" 

Ludlow  complied,  though  his  eye  scarce  changed 
its  direction.    He  saw  the  bright  flame  that  was 
2P2 


474  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

rising  above  the  arm-chest,  and  he  fancied  that  it 
came  from  the  funeral  pile  of  the  young  Dumont, 
whose  fate,  at  that  moment,  he  was  almost  disposed 
to  envy.  Then  his  look  returned  to  the  grim  coun 
tenance  of  Trysail.  At  moments,  it  seemed  as  if  the 
dead  master  spoke;  and  so  strong  did  the  illusion 
become,  that  our  young  sailor  more  than  once  bent 
forward  to  listen.  While  under  this  delusion,  the 
body  rose,  with  the  arms  stretched  upwards.  The 
air  was  filled  with  a  sheet  of  streaming  fire,  while 
the  ocean  and  the  heavens  glowed  with  one  glare 
of  intense  and  fiery  red.  Notwithstanding  the  pre 
caution  of  the  '  Skimmer  of  the  Seas,'  the  chest  was 
driven  from  its  place,  and  those  by  whom  it  was 
held  were  nearly  precipitated  into  the  water.  A 
deep,  heavy  detonation  proceeded  as  it  were  from 
the  bosom  of  the  sea,  which,  while  it  wounded  the 
ear  less  than  the  sharp  explosion  that  had  just  before 
issued  from  the  gun,  was  audible  at  the  distant  capes 
of  the  Delaware.  The  body  of  Trysail  sailed  up 
ward  for  fifty  fathoms,  in  the  centre  of  a  flood  of 
flame,  and,  describing  a  short  curve,  it  came  towards 
the  raft,  and  cut  the  water  within  reach  of  the  cap- 
taiivs  arm.  A  sullen  plunge  of  a  gun  followed,  and 
proclaimed  the  tremendous  power  of  the  explosion ; 
while  a  ponderous  yard  fell  athwart  a  part  of  the 
raft,  sweeping  away  the  four  petty  officers  of  Lud- 
low,  as  if  they  had  been  dust  driving  before  a  gale. 
To  increase  the  wild  and  fearful  grandeur  of  the 
dissolution  of  the  royal  cruiser,  one  of  the  cannon 
emitted  its  fiery  contents  while  sailing  in  the  void. 

The  burning  spars,  the  falling  fragments,  the 
blazing  and  scattered  canvas  and  cordage,  the  glow 
ing  shot,  and  all  the  torn  particles  ol  the  ship,  were 
seen  descending.  Then  followed  the  gurgling  of 
water,  as  the  ocean  swallowed  all  that  remained  of 
the  cruiser  which  had  so  long  been  the  pride  of  the 
American  seas.  The  fiery  glow  disappeared,  and  a 


THE   WATER-WITCH.  475 

gloom  like  that  which  succeeds  the  glare  of  vivid 
;htning,  fell  on  the  scene. 


CHAPTEK  xxxrn. 

"  — Please  you,  read." 

CYMBKLIXB. 

"!T  is  past!"  said  the  '  Skimmer  of  the  Seas,' 
raising  himself  from  the  attitude  of  great  muscular 
exertion,  which  he  had  assumed  in  order  to  support 
the  mess-chest,  and  walking  out  along  the  single 
mast,  towards  the  spot  whence  the  four  seamen  of 
Ludlow  had  just  been  swept.  "  It  is  past !  and  those 
who  are  called  to  the  last  account,  have  met  their 
fate  in  such  a  scene  as  none  but  a  seaman  may  wit 
ness  ;  while  those  who  are  spared,  have  need  of  all 
a  seaman's  skill  and  resolution  for  that  which  re 
mains  !  Captain  Ludlow,  I  do  not  despair ;  for,  see, 
the  lady  of  the  brigantine  has  still  a  smile  for  her 
servitors ! " 

Ludlow,  who  had  followed  the  steady  and  daring 
free-trader  to  the  place  where  the  spar  had  fallen, 
turned  and  cast  a  look  in  the  direction  that  the  other 
stretched  his  arm.  Within  a  hundred  feet  of  him, 
he  saw  the  image  of  the  sea-green  lady,  rocking  in 
the  agitated  water,  and  turned  towards  the  raft, 
with  its  usual  expression  of  wild  and  malicious  intel 
ligence.  This  emblem  of  their  fancied  mistress  had 
been  borne  in  front  of  the  smugglers,  when  they 
mounted  the  poop  of  the  Coquette ;  and  the  steeled 
staff  on  which  the  lantern  was  perched,  had  been 
struck  into  a  horse-bucket  by  the  standard-bearer 
of  the  moment,  ere  he  entered  the  melee  of  the  com- 
bat.  During  the  conflagration,  this  object  had  more 


476  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

than  once  met  the  eye  of  Ludlow ;  and  now  it  ap. 
peared  floating  quietly  by  him,  in  a  manner  almost 
to  shake  even  his  contempt  for  the  ordinary  super 
stitions  of  seamen.  While  he  hesitated  in  what  man 
ner  he  should  reply  to  his  companion's  remark,  the 
latter  plunged  into  the  sea,  and  swam  towards  the 
light.  He  was  soon  by  the  side  of  the  raft  again 
bearing  aloft  the  symbol  of  his  brigantine.  There 
are  none  so  firm  in  the  dominion  of  reason,  as  to  be 
entirely  superior  to  the  secret  impulses  which  teach 
us  all  to  believe  in  the  hidden  agency  of  a  good  or 
an  evil  fortune.  The  voice  of  the  free-trader  was 
more  cheerful,  and  his  step  more  sure  and  elastic,  as 
he  crossed  the  stage  and  struck  the  armed  end  of  the 
staff  into  that  part  of  the  top-rim  of  the  Coquette, 
which  floated  uppermost. 

"Courage!"  he  gaily  cried.  "While  this  light 
burns,  my  star  is  not  set !  Courage,  lady  of  the  land; 
for  here  is  one  of  the  deep  waters,  who  still  looks 
kindly  on  her  followers !  We  are  at  sea,  on  a  frail 
craft  it  is  certain,  but  a  dull  sailer  may  make  a  sure 
passage. — Speak,  gallant  Master  Seadrift:  thy  gaiety 
and  spirit  should  revive  under  so  goodly  an  omen !" 

But  the  agent  of  so  many  pleasant  masquerades, 
and  the  instrument  of  so  much  of  his  artifice,  had  not 
a  fortitude  equal  to  the  buoyant  temper  of  the  smug 
gler.  The  counterfeit  bowed  his  head  by  the  side 
of  the  silent  Alida,  without  reply.  The  '  Skimmer  of 
the  Seas'  regarded  the  group,  a  moment,  with  manly 
interest;  and  then  touching  the  arm  of  Ludlow,  he 
walked,  with  a  balancing  step,  along  the  spars,  until 
they  had  reached  a  spot  where  they  might  confer 
without  causing  unnecessary  alarm  to  their  compan- 
ons. 

Although  so  imminent  and  so  pressing  a  danger  as 
that  of  the  explosion  had  passed,  the  situation  of 
those  who  had  escaped  was  scarcely  better  than  that 
of  those  who  had  been  lost.  The  heavens  showed  a 


THE   WATER-WITCH.  477 

few  glimmering  stars  in  the  openings  of  the  clouds ; 
and  now,  that  the  first  contrast  of  the  change  had 
lessened,  there  was  just  enough  light  to  render  all  the 
features  of  their  actual  state  gloomily  imposing. 

It  has  been  said,  that  the  fore-mast  of  the  Co 
quette  went  by  the  board,  with  most  of  its  hamper 
aloft.  The  sails,  with  such  portion  of  the  rigging  as 
might  help  to  sustain  it,  had  been  hastily  cut  away 
as  related ;  and  after  its  fall,  until  the  moment  of  the 
explosion,  the  common  men  had  been  engaged,  either 
in  securing  the  staging,  or  in  clearing  the  wreck  of 
those  heavy  ropes  which,  useless  as  fastenings,  only 
added  to  the  weight  of  the  mass.  The  whole  wreck 
lay  upon  the  sea,  with  the  yards  crossed  and  in  their 
places,  much  as  the  spars  had  stood.  The  large 
booms  had  been  unshipped,  and  laid  in  such  a  man 
ner  around  the  top,  with  the  ends  resting  on  the 
lower  and  top-sail  yards,  as  to  form  the  foundation  of 
the  staging.  The  smaller  booms,  with  the  mess-chest 
and  shot-boxes,  were  all  that  lay  between  the  group 
in  the  centre,  and  the  depths  of  the  ocean.  The 
upper  part  of  the  top-rim  rose  a  few  feet  above  the 
water,  and  formed  an  important  protection  against 
the  night-breeze  and  the  constant  washing  of  the 
waves.  In  this  manner  were  the  females  seated,  cau 
tioned  not  to  trust  their  feet  on  the  frail  security  of 
the  booms,  and  supported  by  the  unremitting  care  of 
the  Alderman.  Francois  had  submitted  to  be  lashed 
to  the  top  by  one  of  the  brigantine's  seamen,  while 
the  latter,  all  of  the  common  herd  who  remained, 
encouraged  by  the  presence  of  their  standard-light, 
began  to  occupy  themselves  in  looking  to  the  fasten 
ings  and  other  securities  of  the  raft. 

"  We  are  in  no  condition  for  a  long  or  an  activ 
cruise,  Captain  Ludlow,"  said  the  Skimmer,  when  he 
and  his  companion  were  out  of  hearing.     "  I  have 
been  at  sea  in  all  weathers,  and  in  every  description 


478  THE   WATER- WITCH* 

of  craft ;  but  this  is  the  boldest  of  my  experiments  or 
the  water. — I  hope  it  may  not  be  the  last!" 

"  We  cannot  conceal  from  ourselves  the  frightful 
hazards  we  run,"  returned  Ludlow,  "  however  much 
we  may  wish  them  to  be  a  secret  to  some  among 
us." 

"  This  is  truly  a  deserted  sea,  to  be  abroad  in,  on 
a  raft !  Were  we  in  the  narrow  passages  between 
the  British  islands  and  the  Main,  or  even  in  the  Bis 
cay  waters,  there  would  be  hope  that  some  trader 
or  roving  cruiser  might  cross  our  track ;  but  our 
chance  here  lies  much  between  the  Frenchman  and 
the  brigantine." 

"  The  enemy  has  doubtless  seen  and  heard  the  ex 
plosion,  and,  as  the  land  is  so  near,  they  will  infer 
that  the  people  are  saved  in  the  boats.  Our  chance 
of  seeing  more  of  them  is  much  diminished  by  the 
accident  of  the  fire,  since  there  will  no  longer  be  a 
motive  for  remaining  on  the  coast." 

"  And  will  your  young  officers  abandon  their  cap 
tain  without  a  search?" 

"  Hope  of  aid  from  that  quarter  is  faint.  The  ship 
ran  miles  while  in  flames,  and,  before  the  light  re 
turns,  these  spars  will  have  drifted  leagues,  with  the 
ebbing  tide,  to  seaward." 

"  Truly,  I  have  sailed  with  better  auguries!"  ob 
served  the  Skimmer — "  What  are  the  bearings  and 
distance  of  the  land?" 

"  It  still  lies  to  the  north,  but  we  are  fast  setting 
east  and  southerly.  Ere  morning  we  shall  be  abeam 
of  Montauk,  or  even  beyond  it ;  we  must  already  be 
some  leagues  in  the  offing." 

"  That  is  worse  than  I  had  imagined  ! — but  there 
is  hope  on  the  flood  ?" 

'•  The  flood  will  bear  us  northward  again — but— 
what  think  you  of  the  heavens?" 

"  Unfavorable,  though  not  desperate.     The 
•rceze  will  return  with  the  sun." 


THE    WATEK-WITCH.  479 

"  And  with  it  will  return  the  swell !  How  long  will 
these  ill-secured  spars  hold  together,  when  agitated 
by  the  heave  of  the  water  ?  Or,  how  long  will  those 
with  us  hear  up  against  the  wash  of  the  sea,  unsup 
ported  by  nourishment?" 

"  You  paint  in  gloomy  colors,  Captain  Ludlow," 
said  the  free-trader,  drawing  a  heavy  breath,  in 
spite  of  all  his  resolution.  "  My  experience  tells  rne 
you  are  right,  though  my  wishes  would  fain  contra 
dict  you.  Still,  I  think  we  have  the  promise  of  a 
tranquil  night." 

"  Tranquil  for  a  ship,  or  even  for  a  boat;  but  haz 
ardous  to  a  raft  like  this.  You  see  th.-«t  this  top-mast 
already  works  in  the  cap,  at  each  heav<.  M'the  water, 
and  as  the  wood  loosens,  our  security  less  V 

"  Thy  council  is  not  flattering  ! — Captain  Ludlow, 
you  are  a  seaman  and  a  man,  and  I  .shall  not  attempt 
to  trifle  with  your  knowledge.  With  you,  I  think  tht* 
danger  imminent,  and  almost  our  only  hope  depend 
ent  on  the  good  fortune  of  my  brigantine." 

**  Will  those  in  her  think  it  their  duty  to  quit  their 
anchorage,  to  come  in  quest  of  a  raft  whose  existence 
is  unknown  to  them'?" 

"  There  is  hope  in  the  vigilance  of  her  of  the  sea- 
green  mantle !  You  may  deem  this  fanciful,  or  even 
worse,  at  such  a  moment;  but  I,  who  have  run  so 
many  gauntlets  under  her  favor,  have  faith  in  her 
fortunes.  Surely,  you  are  not  a  seaman,  Captain 
Ludlow,  without  a  secret  dependence  on  some  unseen 
and  potent  agency!" 

"  My  dependence  is  placed  in  the  agency  of  him 
who  is  all-potent,  but  never  visible.  If  he  forget  us, 
we  may  indeed  despair!" 

"  This  is  well,  but  it  is  not  the  fortune  I  would  ex 
press.  Believe  me,  spite  of  an  education  which  teaches 
all  you  have  said,  and  of  a  reason  that  is  often  too 
clear  for  folly,  there  is  a  secret  reliance  on  hidden 
chances,  that  has  been  created  by  a  life  of  activity 


480  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

and  hazard,  and  which,  if  it  should  do  nothing  bet 
ter,  does  not  abandon  me  to  despair.  The  omen  of 
the  light  and  the  smile  of  my  mistress  would  cheer 
me,  spite  of  a  thousand  philosophers ! " 

"  You  are  fortunate  in  purchasing  consolation  so 
cheaply;"  returned  the  commander  of  Queen  Anne; 
who  felt  a  latent  hope  in  his  companion's  confidence 
that  he  would  have  hesitated  to  acknowledge.  "  I 
see  but  little  that  we  can  do  to  aid  our  chances,  ex 
cept  it  be  to  clear  away  all  unnecessary  weight,  and 
to  secure  the  raft  as  much  as  possible  by  additional 
lashings." 

The  *  Skimmer  of  the  Seas'  assented  to  the  pro 
posal.  Consulting  a  moment  longer,  on  the  details 
of  their  expedients,  they  rejoined  the  group  near  the 
top,  in  order  to  see  them  executed.  As  the  seamen 
on  the  raft  were  reduced  to  the  two  people  of  the 
brigantine,  Ludlow  and  his  companion  were  obliged 
to  assist  in  the  performance  of  the  duty. 

Much  useless  rigging,  that  added  to  the  pressure 
without  aiding  the  buoyancy  of  the  raft,  was  cut 
away ;  and  all  the  boom-irons  were  knocked  off  the 
yards,  and  suffered  to  descend  to  the  bottom  of  the 
ocean.  By  these  means  a  great  weight  was  taken 
from  the  raft,  which  in  consequence  floated  with  so 
much  additional  power  to  sustain  those  who  depend 
ed  on  it  for  life.  The  Skimmer,  accompanied  by  his 
two  silent  but  obedient  seamen,  ventured  along  the 
attenuated  and  submerged  spars  to  the  extremity  of 
the  tapering  masts,  and  after  toiling,  with  the  dex 
terity  of  men  accustomed  to  deal  with  the  compli 
cated  machinery  of  a  ship  in  the  darkest  nights,  they 
succeeded  in  releasing  the  two  smaller  masts  with 
their  respective  yards,  and  in  floating  them  down  to 
the  body  of  the  wreck,  or  the  part  around  the  top. 
Here  the  sticks  were  crossed  in  a  manner  to  give 
great  additional  strength  and  footing  to  the  stage. 

There  was  ao  air  of  hope,  and  a  feeling  of  in« 


THE    WATER-WITCH  481 

creased  security,  in  this  employment.  Even  the  Al 
derman  and  Francois  aided  in  the  task,  to  the  extent 
of  their  knowledge  and  force.  But  when  these  al 
terations  were  made,  and  additional  lashings  had 
been  applied  to  keep  the  topmast  and  the  larger 
yards  in  their  places,  Ludlow,  by  joining  those  who 
were  around  the  mast-head,  tacitly  admitted  that 
little  more  could  be  done  to  avert  the  chances  of  the 
elements. 

During  the  few  hours  occupied  in  this  important 
duty,  Alida  and  her  companion  addressed  themselves 
to  God,  in  long  and  fervent  petitions.  With  woman's 
faith  in  that  divine  being  who  alone  could  avail  them, 
and  with  woman's  high  mental  fortitude  in  moments 
of  protracted  trial,  they  had  both  known  how  to  con 
trol  the  exhibition  of  their  terrors,  and  had  sought 
their  support  in  the  same  appeal  to  a  power  superior 
to  all  of  earth.  Ludlow  was  therefore  more  than 
rewarded  by  the  sound  of  Alida's  voice,  speaking  to 
him  cheerfully,  as  she  thanked  him  for  what  he  had 
done,  when  he  admitted  that  he  could  now  do  no 
more. 

"  The  rest  is  with  Providence !"  added  Alida.  "  All 
that  bold  and  skilful  seamen  can  do,  have  ye  done  ; 
and  all  that  woman  in  such  a  situation  can  do,  have 
we  done  in  your  behalf!" 

"  Thou  hast  thought  of  me  in  thy  prayers,  Alida ! 
It  is  an  intercession  that  the  stoutest  needs,  and 
which  none  but  the  fool  derides." 

"  And  thou,  Eudora !  thou  hast  remembered  him 
who  quiets  the  waters!"  said  a  deep  voice,  near  the 
bending  form  of  the  counterfeit  Seadrift. 

"  I  have." 

"'Tis  well. — There  are  points  to  which  manhood 
and  experience  may  pass,  and  there  are  those  where 
all  is  left  to  one  mightier  than  the  elements!" 

Words  like  these,  coming  from  the  lips  of  one  ol 
the  known  character  of  the  *  Skimmer,  of  the  Seas.' 

f  Q 


482  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

were  not  given  to  the  winds.  Even  Ludlow  cas*.  an 
uneasy  look  at  the  heavens,  when  they  came  upon 
his  ear,  as  if  they  conveyed  a  secret  notice  of  the 
whole  extremity  of  the  danger  by  which  they  were 
environed.  None  answered ;  and  a  long  silence  suc 
ceeded,  during  which  some  of  the  more  fatigued 
slumbered  uneasily,  spite  of  their  fearful  situation. 

In  this  manner  did  the  night  pass,  in  weariness  and 
anxiety.  Little  was  said,  and  for  hours  scarce  a  limb 
was  moved,  in  the  group  that  clustered  around  the 
mess-chest.  As  the  signs  of  day  appeared,  however, 
every  faculty  was  keenly  awake,  to  catch  the  first 
signs  of  what  they  had  to  hope,  or  the  first  certainty 
of  what  they  had  to  fear. 

The  surface  of  the  ocean  was  still  smooth,  though 
the  long  swells  in  which  the  element  was  heaving  and 
setting,  sufficiently  indicated  that  the  raft  had  floated 
far  from  the  land.  This  fact  was  rendered  sure,  when 
the  light,  which  soon  appeared  along  the  eastern 
margin  of  the  narrow  view,  was  shed  gradually  over 
the  whole  horizon.  Nothing  was  at  first  visible,  but 
one  gloomy  and  vacant  waste  of  water.  But  a  cry 
of  joy  from  Seadrift,  whose  senses  had  long  been 
practised  in  ocean  sights,  soon  drew  all  eyes  in  the 
direction  opposite  to  that  of  the  rising  sun,  and  it  was 
not  long  before  all  on  the  low  raft  had  a  view  of  the 
snowy  surfaces  of  a  ship's  sails,  as  the  glow  of  morn 
ing  touched  the  canvas. 

"  It  is  the  Frenchman  !"  said  the  free-trader.  "  He 
is  charitably  looking  for  the  wreck  of  his  late  enemy !" 

"It  may  be  so,  for  our  fate  can  be  no  secret  to 
him  ;"  was  the  answer  of  Ludlow.  "  Unhappily,  we 
had  run  some  distance  from  the  anchorage,  before 
the  flames  broke  out.  Truly,  those  with  whom  we 
BO  lately  struggled  for  life,  are  bent  on  a  duty  oi 
humanity." 

"  Ah,  yonder  is  his  crippled  consort! — to  leeward 
many -a  league.  The  gay  bird  has  been  too  sad)? 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  483 

stripped  of  its  plumage,  to  fly  so  near  the  wind! 
This  is  man's  fortune!  He  uses  his  power,  at  one 
moment,  to  destroy  the  very  means  that  become  ne 
cessary  to  his  safety,  the  next." 

"And  what  think  you  of  our  hopes  ?"  asked  Alida, 
earching  in  the  countenance  of  Ludlow  a  clue  to 
their  fate.  "  Does  the  stranger  move  in  a  direction 
favorable  to  our  wishes?" 

Neither  Ludlow  nor  the  Skimmer  replied.  Both 
regarded  the  frigate  intently,  and  then,  as  objects 
became  more  distinct,  both  answered,  by  a  common 
impulse,  that  the  ship  was  steering  directly  towards 
them.  The  Declaration  excited  general  hope,  and 
even  the  negress  was  no  longer  restrained  by  her 
situation  from  expressing  her  joy  in  vociferous  ex 
clamations  of  delight. 

A  few  minutes  of  active  and  ready  exertion  suc 
ceeded.  A  light  boom  was  unlashed  from  the  raft, 
and  raised  on  its  end,  supporting  a  little  signal,  made 
of  the  handkerchiefs  of  the  party,  which  fluttered  in 
the  light  breeze,  at  the  elevation  of  some  twenty 
feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water.  After  this  pre 
caution  was  observed,  they  were  obliged  to  await  the 
result  in  such  patience  as  they  could  assume.  Minute 
passed  after  minute,  and,  at  each  moment,  the  form 
and  proportions  of  the  ship  became  more  distinct, 
until  all  the  mariners  of  the  party  declared  they  could 
distinguish  men  on  her  yards.  A  cannon  would  have 
readily  sent  its  shot  from  the  ship  to  the  raft,  and 
yet  no  sign  betrayed  the  consciousness  of  those  in 
the  former  of  the  proximity  of  the  latter. 

•'I  do  not  like  his  manner  of  steering!"  observed 
the  Skimmer  to  the  silent  and  attentive  Ludlow.  "  He 
yaws  broadly,  as  if  disposed  to  give  up  the  search. 
God  grant  him  the  heart  to  continue  on  his  course 
ten  minutes  longer !" 

"  Have  we  no  means  of  making  ourselves  heard  ?" 
demanded  the  Alderman.  "  Methinks  the  voice  of  a 


484  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

strong  man  might  be  sent  thus  far  across  the  water 
when  life  is  the  stake." 

The  more  experienced  shook  their  heads ;  but,  no,1 
discouraged,  the  burgher  raised  his  voice  with  a 
power  that  was  sustained  by  the  imminency  of  the 
peril.  He  was  joined  by  the  seamen,  and  even  Lud 
low  lent  his  aid,  until  all  were  hoarse  with  the  fruit 
less  efforts.  Men  were  evidently  aloft,  and  in  some 
numbers,  searching  the  ocean  with  their  eyes,  but 
still  no  answering  signal  came  from  the  vessel. 

The  ship  continued  to  approach,  and  the  raft  was 
less  than  half  a  mile  from  her  bows,  when  the  vast 
fabric  suddenly  receded  from  the  breeze,  showed  the 
whole  of  its  glittering  broadside,  and,  swinging  its 
yards,  betrayed  by  its  new  position  that  the  search 
in  that  direction  was  abandoned.  The  instant  Lud- 
low  saw  the  tilling-off  of  the  frigate's  bows,  he  cried — 

"  Now,  raise  your  voices  together ; — this  is  the 
final  chance !" 

They  united  in  a  common  shout,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  the  *  Skimmer  of  the  Seas.'  The  latter  lean 
ed  against  the  top  with  folded  arms,  listening  to  their 
impotent  efforts  with  a  melancholy  smile. 

"  It  is  well  attempted,"  said  the  calm  and  extra 
ordinary  seaman  when  the  clamor  had  ceased,  ad 
vancing  along  the  raft  and  motioning  for  all  to  be 
silent ;  "  but  it  has  failed.  The  swinging  of  the  yards, 
and  the  orders  given  in  waring  ship,  would  prevent 
a  stronger  sound  from  being  audible  to  men  so  ac- 
lively  employed.  I  flatter  none  with  hope,  but  this 
is  truly  the  moment  for  a  final  effort." 

He  placed  his  hands  to  his  mouth,  and,  disregarding 
words,  he  raised  a  cry  so  clear,  so  powerful,  and  yet 
o  full,  that  it  seemed  impossible  those  in  the  vessel 
hould  not  hear.  Thrice  did  he  repeat  the  experi 
ment,  though  it  was  evident  that  each  successive  ex 
ertion  was  feebler  than  the  last. 


THE    WATER- WITCH,  485 

"They  hear!"  cried  Alida.  "There  is  a  move 
ment  in  the  sails!" 

"'Tis  the  beeeze  freshening;"  answered  Ludlow, 
in  sadness,  at  her  side.  "  Each  moment  takes  them 
away!" 

The  melancholy  truth  was  too  apparent  for  de 
nial,  and  for  half  an  hour  the  retiring  ship  was 
watched  in  the  bitterness  of  disappointment.  At  the 
end  of  that  time,  she  fired  a  gun,  spread  additional 
canvas  on  her  wide  booms,  and  stood  away  before 
the  wind,  to  join  her  consort,  whose  upper  sails  were 
already  dipping  to  the  surface  of  the  sea,  in  the 
southern  board.  With  this  change  in  her  movements, 
vanished  all  expectation  of  succor  from  the  cruiser 
of  the  enemy. 

Perhaps,  in  every  situation  of  life,  it  is  necessary 
that  hope  should  be  first  lessened  by  disappointment, 
before  the  buoyancy  of  the  human  mind  will  permit 
it  to  descend  to  the  level  of  an  evil  fortune.  Until  a 
frustrated  effort  teaches  him  the  difficulty  of  the  at 
tempt,  he  who  has  fallen  may  hope  to  rise  again ; 
and  it  is  only  when  an  exertion  has  been  made  with 
lessened  means,  that  we  learn  the  value  of  advan 
tages,  which  have  perhaps  been  long  enjoyed,  with  a 
very  undue  estimate  of  their  importance.  Until  the 
stern  of  the  French  frigate  was  seen  retiring  from  the 
raft,  those  who  were  on  it  had  not  been  fully  sensible 
of  the  extreme  danger  of  their  situation.  Hope  had 
been  strongly  excited  by  the  return  of  dawn ;  for 
while  the  shadows  of  night  lay  on  the  ocean,  their 
situation  resembled  that  of  one  who  strove  to  pierce 
the  obscurity  of  the  future,  in  order  to  obtain  a 
presage  of  better  fortunes.  With  the  light  had 
come  the  distant  sail.  As  the  day  advanced,  the  ship 
had  approached,  relinquished  her  search,  and  disap 
peared,  without  a  prospect  of  her  return. 

The  stoutest  heart  among  the  group  on  the  raft 
2Q2 


486  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

began  to  sink  at  the  gloomy  fate  which  now  seemed 
inevitable. 

"Here  is  an  evil  omen!"  whispered  Ludlow,  di 
recting  his  companion's  eyes  to  the  dark  and  pointed 
fins  of  three  or  four  sharks,  that  were  gliding  above 
the  surface  of  the  water,  and  in  so  fearful  a  prox 
imity  to  their  persons,  as  to  render  their  situation  on 
the  low  spars,  over  which  the  water  was  washing 
and  retiring  at  each  rise  and  fall  of  the  waves, 
doubly  dangerous. — "  The  creature's  instinct  speaks 
ill  for  our  hopes!" 

"  There  is  a  belief  among  seamen,  that  these 
animals  feel  a  secret  impulse,  which  directs  them  to 
(heir  prey;"  returned  the  Skimmer.  "But  fortune 
may  yet  balk  them. — Rogerson!"  calling  to  one  of 
his  followers; — "thy  pockets  are  rarely  wanting  in 
a  fisherman's  tackle.  Hast  thou,  haply,  line  and  hook, 
for  these  hungry  miscreants?  The  question  is  getting 
narrowed  to  one,  in  which  the  simplest  philosophy  is 
the  wisest.  When  eat  or  to  be  eaten,  is  the  mooted 
point,  most  men  will  decide  for  the  former." 

A  hook  of  sufficient  size  was  soon  produced,  and 
a  line  was  quietly  provided  from  some  of  the  small 
cordage  that  still  remained  about  the  masts.  A  piece 
of  leather,  torn  from  a  spar,  answered  for  the  bait ; 
and  the  lure  was  thrown.  Extreme  hunger  seemed 
to  engross  the  voracious  animals,  who  darted  at  the 
imaginary  prey  with  the  rapidity  of  lightning.  The 
shock  was  so  sudden  and  violent,  that  the  hapless 
mariner  was  drawn  from  his  slippery  and  precarious 
footing,  into  the  sea.  The  whole  passed  with  a  fright 
ful  and  alarming  rapidity.  A  common  cry  of  horror 
was  heard,  and  the  last  despairing  glance  of  the  fallen 
man  was  witnessed.  The  mutilated  body  floated  for 
an  instant  in  its  blood,  with  the  look  of  agony  and 
tciror  still  imprinted  on  the  conscious  countenance. 
At  the  next  moment,  it  had  become  food  for  the 
monsters  of  the  sea. 


THE    WATER- WITCH  487 

All  had  passed  away,  but  the  deep  dye  on  the 
surface  of  the  oc  can.  The  gorged  fish  disappeared  : 
but  the  dark  spot  remained  near  the  immovable  raft, 
as  if  placed  there  to  warn  the  survivors  of  their 
eato. 

'•This  is  horrible!"  said  Ludlow. 

"  A  sail !"  shouted  the  Skimmer,  whose  voice  and 
tone,  breaking  in  on  that  moment  of  intense  horror 
ind  apprehension,  sounded  like  a  cry  from  ihe 
heavens.  "My  gallant  brigantine!" 

"  God  grant  she  come  with  better  fortune  than 
those  who  have  so  lately  left  us!" 

"  God  grant  it,  truly  !  If  this  hope  fail,  there  is 
none  left.  Few  pass  here,  and  we  have  had  sufficient 
proof  that  our  top-gallants  are  not  so  lofty  as  to  catch 
every  eye." 

All  attention  was  now  bestowed  on  the  white  speck 
which  was  visible  on  the  margin  of  the  ocean,  and 
which  the  *  Skimmer  of  the  Seas'  confidently  pro 
nounced  to  be  the  Water- Witch.  None  but  a  sea 
man  could  have  felt  this  certainty ;  for,  seen  from 
the  low  raft,  there  was  little  else  to  be  distinguished 
but  the  heads  of  the  upper  sails.  The  direction  too 
was  unfavorable,  as  it  was  to  leeward ;  but  both 
Ludlow  and  the  free-trader  assured  their  compan 
ions,  that  the  vessel  was  endeavoring  to  beat  in  with 
the  land. 

The  two  hours  that  succeeded  lingered  like  days 
of  misery.  So  much  depended  on  a  variety  of  events, 
that  every  circumstance  was  noted  by  the  seamen 
of  the  party,  with  an  interest  bordering  on  agony. 
A  failure  of  the  wind  might  compel  the  vessel  to 
remain  stationary,  and  then  both  brigantine  and  raft 
would  be  at  the  mercy  of  the  uncertain  currents  of 
the  ocean ;  a  change  of  wind  might  cause  a  change 
of  course,  and  render  a  meeting  impossible;  an  in 
crease  of  the  breeze  might  cause  destruction,  even 
before  the  succor  could  come.  In  addition  to  these 


488  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

obvious  hazards,  there  were  all  the  chances  which 
were  dependent  on  the  fact  that  the  people  of  the 
brigantine  had  every  reason  to  believe  the  fate  of 
the  party  was  already  sealed. 

Still,  fortune  seemed  propitious ;  for  the  breeze, 
though  steady,  was  light,  the  intention  of  the  vessel 
was  evidently  to  pass  somewhere  near  them,  and  the 
hope  that  their  object  was  search,  so  strong  and 
plausible,  as  to  exhilarate  every  bosom. 

At  the  expiration  of  the  time  named,  the  brigan 
tine  passed  the  raft  to  leeward,  and  so  near  as  to 
render  the  smaller  objects  in  her  rigging  distinctly 
visible. 

"The  faithful  fellows  are  looking  for  us!"  ex 
claimed  the  free-trader,' with  strong  emotion  in  his 
voice.  "  They  are  men  to  scour  the  coast,  ere  they 
abandon  us!" 

"  They  pass  us — wave  the  signal — it  may  c.\tch 
their  eyes!" 

The  little  flag  was  unheeded,  and,  after  so  loug 
and  so  intense  expectation,  the  party  on  the  raft  had 
the  pain  to  see  the  swift-moving  vessel  glide  past 
them,  and  drawing  so  far  ahead  as  to  leave  little 
hope  of  her  return.  The  heart  of  even  the  *  Skimmer 
of  the  Seas'  appeared  to  sink  within  him,  at  the 
disappointment. 

"  For  myself,  I  care  not ;"  said  the  stout  mariner 
mournfully.  "  Of  what  consequence  is  it,  in  what  sea, 
or  on  what  voyage,  a  seaman  goes  into  his  watery 
tomb  ? — but  for  thee,  my  hapless  and  playful  Eudora, 
I  could  wish  another  fate — ha! — she  tacks! — the 
sea-green  lady  has  an  instinct  for  her  children,  after 
all!" 

The  brigantine  was  in  stays. — Tn  ten  or  fifteen 
minutes  more,  the  vessel  was  again  abeam  of  the 
raft,  and  to  windward. 

"  If  she  pass  us  now,  our  chance  is  gone,  without 
a  shadow  of  hope;"  said  the  Skimmer,  motioning 


THE  WATER- WITCH.  489 

soiemn'y  for  silence.  Then,  applying  his  hands  to 
his  mouth,  he  shouted,  as  if  despair  lent  a  giant's 
volume  to  his  lungs — 

"  Ho !  The  Water- Witch  !— ahoy  !" 

The  last  word  issued  from  his  lips  with  the  clear 
audible  cry,  that  the  peculiar  sound  is  intended  to 
produce.  It  appeared  as  if  the  conscious  little  bark 
knew  its  commander's  voice ;  for  its  course  changed 
slightly,  as  if  the  fabric  were  possessed  of  the  con 
sciousness  and  faculties  of  life. 

"Ho!  The  Water-Witch!— ahoy !"  shouted  the 
Skimmer,  with  a  still  mightier  effort. 

" — Hilloa!"  came  down  faintly  on  the  breeze, 
and  the  direction  of  the  brigantine  again  altered, 

"  The  Water- Witch !— the  Water- Witch  !— ahoy !" 
broke  out  of  the  lips  of  the  mariner  of  the  shawl, 
with  a  supernatural  force, — the  last  cry  being  drawn 
out,  till  he  who  uttered  it  sunk  back  exhausted  with 
the  effort. 

The  words  were  still  ringing  in  the  ears  of  the 
breathless  party  on  the  raft,  when  a  heavy  shout 
swept  across  the  water.  At  the  next  moment  the  boom 
of  the  brigantine  swung  off*,  and  her  narrow  bows 
were  seen  pointing  towards  the  little  beacon  of  white 
that  played  above  the  sea.  It  was  but  a  moment, 
but  it  was  a  moment  pregnant  with  a  thousand  hopes 
and  fears,  before  the  beautiful  craft  was  gliding 
within  fifty  feet  of  the  top.  In  less  than  five  minutes, 
the  spars  of  the  Coquette  were  floating  on  the  wide 
ocean,  unpeopled  and  abandoned. 

The  first  sensation  of  the  *  Skimmer  of  the  Seas, 
when  his  foot  touched  the  deck  of  his  brigantine 
might  have  been  one  of  deep  and  intense  gratitude 
Ho  was  silent,  and  seemingly  oppressed  at  the  throat. 
Stepping  along  the  planks,  he  cast  an  eye  aloft,  and 
struck  his  hand  powerfully  on  the  capstan,  in  a  man 
ner  that  was  divided  between  convulsion  and  affec 
tion.  Then  he  smiled  grimly  on  his  attentive  .and 


490  THE  WATER-WITCH. 

obedient  crew,  speaking  with  all  his  wonted  chse? 
fulness  and  authority. 

"  Fill  away  the  topsail — brace  up  and  haul  alt  1 
Trim  every  thing  flat  as  boards,  boys; — jam  the 
hussy  in  with  the  coast !" 


CHAPTER  XXXIY. 

"  Beseech  you,  Sir,  were  you  present  at  ttis  relation  ?" 

WINTER'S  TALE. 

ON  the  following  morning,  the  windows  of  the 
Lust  in  Rust  denoted  the  presence  of  its  owner 
There  was  an  air  of  melancholy,  and  yet  of  happi 
ness,  in  the  faces  of  many  who  were  seen  about  the 
buildings  and  the  grounds,  as  if  a  great  good  had 
been  accompanied  by  some  grave  and  qualifying 
circumstances  of  sorrow.  The  negroes  wore  an  air 
of  that  love  of  the  extraordinary  which  is  the  con 
comitant  of  ignorance,  while  those  of  the  more  for 
tunate  class  resembled  men  who  retained  a  recollec 
tion  of  serious  evils  that  were  past. 

In  the  private  apartment  of  the  burgher,  however, 
an  interview  took  place  which  was  characterized  by 
an  air  of  deep  concern.  The  parties  were  only  the 
free-trader  and  the  Alderman.  But  it  was  apparent, 
in  the  look  of  each,  that  they  met  like  men  who 
had  interesting  and  serious  matters  to  discuss.  Still, 
one  accustomed  to  the  expressions  of  the  human 
countenance  might  have  seen,  that  while  the  former 
was  about  to  introduce  topics  in  which  his  feelings 
were  powerfully  enlisted,  the  other  looked  only  to 
the  grosser  interests  of  his  commerce. 

"My  minutes  are  counted;"  said  the  mariner, 
stepping  into  the  centre  of  the  room,  and  facing  his 


THE    WATER- WITCH.  491 

companion.  "  That  which  is  to  be  said,  must  be  said 
briefly.  The  inlet  can  only  be  passed  on  the  rising 
water,  and  it  will  ill  consult  your  opinions  of  pru 
dence,  were  I  to  tarry,  till  the  hue  and  cry,  that 
will  follow  the  intelligence  of  that  which  has  lately 
happened  in  the  offing,  shall  be  heard  in  th 
Province." 

"  Spoken  with  a  rover's  discretion  !  This  reserve 
will  perpetuate  friendship,  which  is  nought  weakened 
by  your  activity  in  our  late  uncomfortable  voyage 
on  the  yards  and  masts  of  Queen  Anne's  late  cruiser. 
Well !  I  wish  no  ill-luck  to  any  loyal  gentleman  in 
Her  Majesty's  service ;  but  it  is  a  thousand  pities 
that  thou  wert  not  ready,  now  the  coast  is  clear, 
with  a  good  heavy  inward  cargo !  The  last  was  al 
together  an  affair  of  secret  drawers,  and  rich  laces ; 
valuable  in  itself,  and  profitable  in  the  exchange  : 
but  the  colony  is  sadly  in  want  of  certain  articles 
that  can  only  be  landed  at  leisure."  . 

"  I  come  on  other  matters.  There  nave  been 
transactions  between  us,  Alderman  Van  Beverout, 
that  you  little  understand." 

"  You  speak  of  a  small  mistake  in  the  last  in 
voice? — 'Tis  all  explained,  Master  Skimmer,  on  a 
second  examination ;  and  thy  accuracy  is  as  well 
established  as  that  of  the  bank  of  England." 

"  Established  or  not,  let  him  who  doubts  cease  to 
deal. — I  have  no  other  motto  than  '  confidence,'  nor 
any  other  rule  but  'justice.'  " 

"  You  overrun  my  meaning,  friend  of  mine.  I 
intimate  no  suspicions ;  but  accuracy  is  the  soul  of 
commerce,  as  profit  is  its  object.  Clear  accounts, 
with  reasonable  balances,  are  the  surest  cements  of 
business  intimacies.  A  little  frankness  operates,  in  a 
secret  trade,  like  equity  in  the  courts;  which  re- 
establishes  the  justice  that  the  law  has  destroyed.— 
What  is  thy  purpose?" 

"  It  is  now  many  years,  Alderman  Van  Beverout. 


492  THE    WATER- WITCH. 

since  this  secret  trade  was  commenced  between  yon 
and  my  predecessor, — he,  whom  you  have  thought 
my  father,  but  who  only  claimed  that  revered  appel 
lation  by  protecting  the  helplessness  and  infancy  of 
the  orphan  child  of  a  friend." 

"  The  latter  circumstance  is  new  to  me ;"  returned 
the  burgher,  slowly  bowing  his  head.  "  It  may 
explain  certain  levities  which  have  not  been  without 
their  embarrassment.  'Tis  five-and-twenty  years, 
come  August,  Master  Skimmer,  and  twelve  of  them 
have  been  under  thy  auspices.  I  will  not  say  that 
the  adventures  might  not  have  been  better  managed; 
as  it  is,  they  are  tolerable.  I  am  getting  old,  and 
think  of  closing  the  risks  and  hazards  of  life — two 
or  three,  or,  at  the  most,  four  or  five,  lucky  voyages, 
must,  I  think,  bring  a  final  settlement  between  us." 

"  'Twill  be  made  sooner.  I  believe  the  history  of 
my  predecessor  was  no  secret  to  you.  The  manner 
in  which  «he  was  driven  from  the  marine  of  the 
Stuarts,  on  account  of  his  opposition  to  tyranny ;  his 
refuge  with  an  only  daughter,  in  the  colonies ;  and 
his  final  recourse  to  the  free-trade  for  a  livelihood, 
have  often  been  alluded  to  between  us." 

"  Hum — I  have  a  good  memory  for  business,  Mas 
ter  Skimmer,  but  I  am  as  forgetful  as  a  new-made 
lord  of  his  pedigree,  on  all  matters  that  should  be 
overlooked.  I  dare  say,  however,  it  was  as  you  have 
stated." 

"  You  know,  that  when  my  protector  and  prede 
cessor  abandoned  the  land,  he  took  his  all  with  him 
upon  the  water." 

"  He  took  a  wholesome  and  good-going  schooner, 
Master  Skimmer,  with  an  assorted  freight  of  chosen 
tobacco,  well  ballasted  with  stones  from  off  the  sea- 
shore.  He  was  no  foolish  admirer  of  sea-green 
women,  and  flaunting  brigantines.  Often  did  the 
royal  cruisers  mistake  the  worthy  dealer  for  an  in 
dustrkms  fisherman  !** 


THE    WATER- WITCH,  493 

"  He  had  his  humors,  and  I  have  mine.  But  you 
forget  a  part  of  the  freight  he  carried ; — a  part  that 
was  not  the  least  valuable." 

"  There  might  have  been  a  bale  of  marten's  furs — 
for  the  trade  was  just  getting  brisk  in  that  article." 

"  There  was  a  beautiful,  an  innocent,  and  an  af 
fectionate  girl " 

The  Alderman  made  an  involuntary  movement, 
which  nearly  hid  his  countenance  from  his  companion. 

"  There  was,  indeed,  a  beautiful,  and,  as  you  say, 
a  most  warm-hearted  girl,  in  the  concern!"  he  ut 
tered,  in  a  voice  that  was  subdued  and  hoarse.  "  She 
died,  as  I  have  heard  from  thyself,  Master  Skimmer, 
in  the  Italian  seas.  I  never  saw  the  father,  after  the 
last  visit  of  his  child  to  this  coast." 

"  She  did  die,  among  the  islands  of  the  Mediterra 
nean.  But  the  void  she  left  in  the  hearts  of  all  who 
knew  her,  was  filled,  in  time,  by  her — daughter." 

The  Alderman  started  from  his  chair,  and,  looking 
the  free-trader  intently  and  anxiously  in  the  face, 
he  slowly  repeated  the  word — 

"Daughter!" 

"  I  have  said  it. — Eudora  is  the  daughter  of  that 
injured  woman — need  I  say,  who  is  the  father?" 

The  burgher  groaned,  and,  covering  his  face  with 
his  hands,  he  sunk  back  into  his  chair,  shivering  con 
vulsively. 

"What  evidence  have  I  of  this?"  he  at  length 
muttered — "Eudora  is  thy  sister!" 

The  answer  of  the  free-trader  was  accompanied 
by  a  melancholy  smile. 

"  You  have  been  deceived.  Save  the  brigantine 
my  being  is  attached  to  nothing.  When  my  own 
brave  father  fell  by  the  side  of  him  who  protected 
my  youth,  none  of  my  blood  were  left.  I  loved  him 
as  a  father,  and  he  called  me  son,  while  Eudora  was 
passed  upon  you  as  the  child  of  a  second  marriage 
But  here  is  sufficient  evidence  of  her  birth." 


494  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

The  Alderman  took  a  paper,  which  his  companion 
put  gravely  into  his  hand,  and  his  eyes  ran  eagerly 
over  its  contents.  It  was  a  letter  to  himself  from  the 
mother  of  Eudora,  written  after  the  birth  of  the 
latter,  and  with  the  endearing  affection  of  a  woman 
The  love  between  the  young  merchant  and  the  fair 
daughter  of  his  secret  correspondent  had  been  less 
criminal  on  his  part  than  most  similar  connexions. 
Nothing  but  the  peculiarity  of  their  situation,  and 
the  real  embarrassment  of  introducing  to  the  world 
one  whose  existence  was  unknown  to  his  friends,  and 
their  mutual  awe  of  the  unfortunate  but  still  prouo 
parent,  had  prevented  a  legal  marriage.  The  simple 
forms  of  the  colony  were  easily  satisfied,  and  there 
was  even  some  reason  to  raise  a  question  whether 
they  had  not  been  sufficiently  consulted  to  render 
the  offspring  legitimate.  As  Myndert  Van  Beverout, 
therefore,  read  the  epistle  of  her  whom  he  had  once 
so  truly  loved,  and  whose  loss  had,  in  more  senses 
than  one,  been  to  him  an  irreparable  misfortune, 
since  his  character  might  have  yielded  to  her  gentle 
and  healthful  influence,  his  limbs  trembled,  and  his 
whole  frame  betrayed  the  violence  of  extreme  agi 
tation.  The  language  of  the  dying  woman  was  kind 
and  free  from  reproach,  but  it  was  solemn  and  ad 
monitory.  She  communicated  the  birth  of  their 
child ;  but  she  left  it  to  the  disposition  of  her  own 
father,  while  she  apprized  the  author  of  its  being  of 
its  existence ;  and,  in  the  event  of  its  ever  being 
consigned  to  his  care,  she  earnestly  recommended  it 
to  his  love.  The  close  was  a  leave-taking,  in  which 
the  lingering  affections  of  this  life  were  placed  in 
mournful  contrast  to  the  hopes  of  the  future. 

"Why  has  this  so  long  been  hidden  from  me?" 
demanded  the  agitated  merchant — "  Why,  oh  reck 
less  and  fearless  man !  have  I  been  permitted  to  ex 
pose  the  frailties  of  nature  to  my  own  child  ?" 

The  smile  of  the  free-trader  was  bitter,  and  proud 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  495 

"Mr.  Van  Beverout,  we  are  no  dealers  of  the 
short  voyage.  Our  trade  is  the  concern  of  life ; — 
our  world,  the  Water- Witch.  As  we  have  so  little 
of  the  interests  of  the  land,  our  philosophy  is  above 
its  weaknesses.  The  birth  of  Eudora  was  concealed 
from  you,  at  the  will  of  her  grandfather.  It  might 
have  been  resentment ; — it  might  have  been  pride. — 
Had  it  been  affection,  the  girl  has  that  to  justify  the 
fraud." 

"And  Eudora,  herself? — Does  she — or  has  she 
long  known  the  truth?" 

"  But  lately.  Since  the  death  of  our  common 
friend,  the  girl  has  been  solely  dependent  on  me  for 
counsel  and  protection.  It  is  now  a  year  since  she 
first  learned  she  was  not  my  sister.  Until  then,  like 
you,  she  supposed  us  equally  derived  from  one  who 
was  the  parent  of  neither.  Necessity  has  compelled 
me,  of  late,  to  keep  her  much  in  the  brigantine." 

"The  retribution  is  righteous!"  groaned  the  Al 
derman.  "  I  am  punished  for  my  pusillanimity,  in 
the  degradation  of  my  own  child!" 

The  step  of  the  free-trader,  as  he  advanced  nearer 
to  his  companion,  was  full  of  dignity ;  and  his  keen 
eye  glowed  with  the  resentment  of  an  offended  man. 

"  Alderman  Van  Beverout,"  he  said,  with  stern 
rebuke  in  his  voice,  "you  receive  your  daughter, 
stainless  as  was  her  unfortunate  mother,  when  neces 
sity  compelled  him  whose  being  was  wrapped  up  in 
hers,  to  trust  her  beneath  your  roof.  We  of  the  con 
traband  have  our  own  opinions  of  right  and  wrong, 
and  my  gratitude,  no  less  than  my  principles,  teaches 
me  that  the  descendant  of  my  benefactor  is  to  be 
protected,  not  injured.  Had  I,  in  truth,  been  the 
brother  of  Eudora,  language  and  conduct  more  inno 
cent  could  not  have  been  shown  her,  than  that  she 
has  both  heard  and  witnessed  while  guarded  by  my 
;are." 

"  From  my  soul,  I  thank  thee  1"  burst  from  the  lipt 


496  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

of  the  Alderman.  "  The  girl  shall  be  acknowledged 
and  with  such  a  dowry  as  I  can  give,  she  may  yel 
hope  for  a  suitable  and  honorable  marriage." 

"Thou  may'st  bestow  her  on  thy  favorite  Pa- 
troon ;"  returned  the  Skimmer,  with  a  calm  but  sad 
eye.  "  She  is  more  than  worthy  of  all  he  can 
eturn.  The  man  is  willing  to  take  her,  for  he  is 
not  ignorant  of  her  sex  and  history.  That  much  I 
thought  due  to  Eudora  herself,  when  fortune  placed 
the  young  man  in  my  power." 

"  Thou  art  only  too  honest  for  this  wicked  world, 
Master  Skimmer !  Let  me  see  the  loving  pair,  and 
bestow  my  blessing,  on  the  instant !" 

The  free-trader  turned  slowly  away,  and,  opening 
a  door,  he  motioned  for  those  within  to  enter.  Alida 
instantly  appeared,  leading  the  counterfeit  Seadrift, 
clad  in  the  proper  attire  of  her  sex.  Although  the 
burgher  had  often  seen  the  supposed  sister  of  the 
Skimmer  in  her  female  habiliments,  she  never  before 
had  struck  him  as  a  being  of  so  rare  beauty  as  at 
that  moment.  The  silken  whiskers  had  been  re 
moved,  and  in  their  places  were  burning  cheeks,  that 
were  rather  enriched  than  discolored  by  the  warm 
touches  of  the  sun.  The  dark  glossy  ringlets,  that 
were  no  longer  artfully  converted  to  the  purposes  of 
the  masquerade,  fell  naturally  in  curls  about  the 
temples  and  brows,  shading  a  countenance  which  in 
general  was  playfully  arch,  though  at  that  moment 
it  was  shadowed  by  reflection  and  feeling.  It  is  sel 
dom  that  two  such  beings  are  seen  together,  as  those 
who  now  knelt  at  the  feet  of  the  merchant.  In  the 
breast  of  the  latter,  the  accustomed  and  lasting  love 
of  the  uncle  and  protector  appeared,  for  an  instant, 
to  struggle  with  the  new-born  affection  of  a  parent. 
Nature  was  too  strong  for  even  his  blunted  and  per 
verted  sentiments;  and,  calling  his  child  aloud  by 
name,  the  selfish  and  calculating  Alderman  sunk 
upon  the  neck  of  Eudora.  and  wool-,  tt  would  have 


WATER-WITCH.  497 

oeen  difficult  to  trace  the  emotions  of  the  stern  but 
observant  free-trader,  as  he  watched  the  progress  of 
this  scene.  Distrust,  uneasiness,  and  finally  melan 
choly,  were  in  his  eye.  With  the  latter  expression 
predominant,  he  quitted  the  room,  like  one  who  felt 
a  stranger  had  no  right  to  witness  emotions  so  sacred. 

Two  hours  later,  and  the  principal  personages  of 
the  Barrative  were  assembled  on  the  margin  of  the 
Cove,  beneath  the  shade  of  an  oak  that  seemed 
coeval  with  the  continent.  The  brigantine  was 
aweigh ;  and,  under  a  light  show  of  canvas,  she  was 
making  easy  stretches  in  the  little  basin,  resembling, 
by  the  ease  and  grace  of  her  movements,  some  beau 
tiful  swan  sailing  up  and  down  in  the  enjoyment  of 
its  instinct.  A  boat  had  just  touched  the  shore,  and 
the  *  Skimmer  of  the  Seas'  stood  near,  stretching  out 
a  hand  to  aid  the  boy  Zephyr  to  land. 

"  We  subjects  of  the  elements  are  slaves  to  super 
stition;"  he  said,  when  the  light  foot  of  the  child 
touched  the  ground.  "  It  is  the  consequence  of  lives 
which  ceaselessly  present  dangers  superior  to  our 
powers.  For  many  years  have  I  believed  that  some 
great  good,  or  some  greater  evil,  would  accompany 
the  first  visit  of  this  boy  to  the  land.  For  the  first 
time,  his  foot  now  stands  on  solid  earth.  I  await  the 
fulfilment  of  the  augury  !" 

"It  will  be  happy;"  returned  Ludlow — "  Alida 
and  Eudora  will  instruct  him  in  the  opinions  of  this 
simple  and  fortunate  country,  and  he  seemeth  one 
likely  to  do  early  credit  to  his  schooling." 

"  I  fear  the  boy  will  regret  the  lessons  of  the  sea- 
green  lady  ! — Captain  Ludlow,  there  is  yet  a  duty  to 
perform,  which,  as  a  man  of  more  feeling  than  you 
may  be  disposed  to  acknowledge,  I  cannot  neglect. 
[  have  understood  that  you  are  accepted  by  )a  ^elle 
Barberie?" 

"  Such  is  my  happiness." 

"  Sir,  in  dispensing  with  explanation  of  the  past 
SB* 


498  THE    WATER-WITCH. 

you  have  shown  a  noble  confidence,  that  merits  a 
return.  When  I  came  upon  this  coast,  it  was  with 
a  determination  of  establishing  the  claims  of  Eudora 
to  the  protection  and  fortune  of  her  father.  If  I  dis 
trusted  the  influence  and  hostility  of  one  so  placed, 
and  so  gifted  to  persuade,  as  this  lady,  you  will  re 
member  it  was  before  acquaintance  had  enabled  me 
to  estimate  more  than  her  beauty.  She  was  seized 
in  her  pavilion  by  my  agency,  and  transported  as  a 
captive  to  the  brigantine." 

"  I  had  believed  her  acquainted  with  the  history 
of  her  cousin,  and  willing  to  aid  in  some  fantasy 
which  was  to  lead  to  the  present  happy  restoration 
of  the  latter  to  her  natural  friends." 

"  You  did  her  disinterestedness  no  more  than  jus 
tice.  As  some  atonement  for  the  personal  wrong,  and 
as  the  speediest  and  surest  means  of  appeasing  her 
-alarm,  1  made  my  captive  acquainted  with  the  facts. 
Eudora  then  heard,  also  for  the  first  time,  the  history 
of  her  origin.  The  evidence  was  irresistible,  and 
we  found  a  generous  and  devoted  friend  where  we 
had  expected  a  rival." 

"  1  knew  that  Alida  could  not  prove  less  gene 
rous!"  cried  the  admiring  Ludlow,  raising  the  hand 
of  the  blushing  girl  to  his  lips.  "  The  loss  of  fortune 
is  a  gain,  by  showing  her  true  character!" 

"  Hist — hist — "  interrupted  the  Alderman — «*  there 
is  little  need  to  proclaim  a  loss  of  any  kind.  What 
must  be  done  in  the  way  of  natural  justice,  will 
doubtless  be  submitted  to;  but  why  let  all  in  the 
colony  know  how  much,  or  how  little,  is  given  with 
a  bride?" 

•'The  Kss  of  fortune  will  be  amply  met;"  return 
ed  the  freetrader  "  These  bags  contain  gold.  The 
dowry  of  my  charge  is  ready  at  a  moment's  warn 
ins:,  whenever  she  shall  make  known  her  choice." 

"Success  and  prudence!"  exclaimed  the  burgher 
"  There  is  no  less  than  a  most  commendable  fore- 


-    c,   tfATER-WITCH.  499 

thought  in  thy  provision,  Master  Skimmer;  and  what 
ever  may  be  the  opinion  of  the  Exchequer  Judges 
of  thy  punctuality  and  credit,  it  is  mine  that  there 
are  less  responsible  men  about  the  bank  of  England 
itself! — This  money  is,  no  doubt,  that  which  the 
girl  can  lawfully  claim  in  right  of  her  late  grand 
father !" 

"  It  is." 

"  1  take  this  to  be  a  favorable  moment  to  speak 
plainly  on  a  subject  which  is  very  near  my  heart, 
and  which  may  as  well  be  broached  under  such  fa 
vorable  auspices  as  under  any  other.  I  understand, 
Mr.  Van  Staats,  that,  on  a  further  examination  of 
your  sentiments  towards  an  old  friend,  you  are  of 
opinion  that  a  closer  alliance  than  the  one  we  had 
contemplated  will  most  conduce  to  your  happiness?" 

"  I  will  acknowledge  that  the  coldness  of  la  belle 
Barberie  has  damped  my  own  warmth;"  returned 
the  Patroon  of  Kinderhook,  who  rarely  delivered 
himself  of  more,  at  a  time,  than  the  occasion  re 
quired. 

"And,  furthermore,  I  have  been  told,  Sir,  that  an 
intimacy  of  a  fortnight  has  given  you  reason  to  fix 
your  affections  on  my  daughter,  whose  beauty  is  he 
reditary,  and  whose  fortune  is  not  likely  to  be  dimin 
ished  by  this  act  of  justice  on  the  part  of  that  up 
right  and  gallant  mariner." 

"  To  be  received  into  the  favor  of  your  family, 
Mr.  Van  Beverout,  would  leave  me  little  to  desire  in 
this  life." 

"  And  as  for  the  other  world,  I  never  heard  of  a 
Patroon  of  Kinderhook  who  did  not  leave  us  with 
comfortable  hopes  for  the  future  ;  as  in  reason  they 
should,  since  few  families  in  the  colony  have  done 
more  for  the  support  of  religion  than  they.  They 
gav«  largely  to  the  Dutch  churches  in  Manhattan : 
have  actually  built,  with  their  own  means,  three 
Very  pretty  brick  edifices  on  the  Manor,  each 


500  THE   WATER-WITCH. 

ing  its  Flemish  steeple  and  suitable  weather-cocks» 
besides  having  done  something  handsome  towards  the 
venerable  structure  in  Albany.  Eudora,  my  child ; 
this  gentleman  is  a  particular  friend,  and  as  such  I 
can  presume  to  recommend  him  to  thy  favor.  You 
are  not  absolutely  strangers ;  but,  in  order  that  you 
may  have  every  occasion  to  decide  impartially,  you 
will  remain  here  together  for  a  month  longer,  which 
will  enable  you  to  choose  without  distraction  and 
confusion.  More  than  this,  for  the  present,  it  is  un 
necessary  to  say ;  for  it  is  my  practice  to  leave  all 
matters  of  this  magnitude  entirely  to  Providence." 

The  daughter,  on  whose  speaking  face  the  color 
went  and  came  like  lights  changing  in  an  Italian  sky, 
continued  silent. 

"  You  have  happily  put  aside  the  curtain  which 
concealed  a  mystery  that  no  longer  gave  me  uneasi 
ness  ;"  interrupted  Ludlow,  addressing  the  free-trader. 
"  Can  you  do  more,  and  say  whence  came  this  let 
ter?" 

The  dark  eye  of  Eudora  instantly  lighted.  She 
looked  at  the  '  Skimmer  of  the  Seas/  and  laughed. 

"  'Twas  another  of  those  womanly  artifices  which 
lave  been  practised  in  my  brigantine.  It  was  thought 
that  a  young  commander  of  a  royal  cruiser  would  be 
less  apt  to  watch  our  movements,  were  his  mind 
bent  on  the  discovery  of  such  a  correspondent." 

"  And  the  trick  has  been  practised  before  ?" 

"  I  confess  it. — But  I  can  linger  no  longer.  In  a 
few  minutes,  the  tide  will  turn,  and  the  inlet  become 
impassable.  Eudora,  we  must  decide  on  the  fortunes  of 
this  child.  Shall  he  to  the  ocean  again  ? — or  shall  he 
remain,  to  vary  his  life  with  a  landsman's  chances  ?" 

"  Who  and  what  is  the  boy  1 "  gravely  demandec 
the  Alderman. 

"One  dear  to  both,"  rejoined  the  free-trader 
"  His  father  was  my  nearest  friend,  and  his  mothei 
long  watched  the  youth  of  Eudora.  Until  this  mo 


THE  WATER- WITCH.  501 

mcnt,  he  has  been  our  mutual  care , —  he  must  now 
choose  between  us." 

"He  will  not  quit  me!"  hastily  interrupted   the 
alarmed  Eudora — "  Thou  art  my  adopted  son,  and 
none  can  guide  thy  young  mind  like  me.    Thou  has 
need  of  woman's  tenderness,  Zephyr,  and  wilt  no 
quit  me?" 

"  Let  the  child  be  the  arbiter  of  his  own  fate.  I 
am  credulous  on  the  point  of  fortune,  which  is,  at 
least,  a  happy  belief  for  the  contraband." 

"  Then  let  him  speak.  Wilt  remain  here,  amid 
these  smiling  fields,  to  ramble  among  yonder  gay  and 
sweetly-scented  flowers? — or  wilt  thou  back  to  the 
water,  where  all  is  vacant  and  without  change?" 

The  boy  looked  wistfully  into  her  anxious  eye, 
and  then  he  bent  his  own  hesitating  glance  on  the 
calm  features  of  the  free-trader. 

"  We  can  put  to  sea,"  he  said ;  "  and  when  we 
make  the  homeward  passage  again,  there  will  be 
many  curious  things  for  thee,  Eudora !" 

"  But  this  may  be  the  last  opportunity  to  know 
the  land  of  thy  ancestors.  Remember  how  terrible 
is  the  ocean  in  its  anger,  and  how  often  the  brigan- 
tine  has  been  in  danger  of  shipwreck !" 

"  Nay.  that  is  womanish ! — I  have  been  on  the 
royal-yard  in  the  squalls,  and  it  never  seemed  to  me 
that  there  was  danger." 

"  Thou  hast  the  unconsciousness  and  reliance  of  a 
ship-boy !  But  those  who  are  older,  know  that  the 
life  of  a  sailor  is  one  of  constant  and  imminent 
hazard. — Thou  hast  been  among  the  islands  in  the 
hurricane,  and  hast  seen  the  power  of  the  elements !" 

"  I  was  in  the  hurricane,  and  so  was  the  brigan- 
tine ;  and  there  you  see  how  taut  and  neat  she  is 
aloft,  as  if  nothing  had  happened  ! " 

"  And  you  saw  us  yesterday  floating  on  the  open 
sea,  while  a  few  ill-fastened  spars  kept  us  fr<  an  go- 
ing  into  its  depths ! " 


502  THE    WATIJR-WITCH. 

"  The  spars  floated,  and  you  were  not  drowned 
else,  I  should  have  wept  bitterly,  Eudora." 

"  But  thou  wilt  go  deeper  into  the  country,  and 
see  more  of  its  beauties — its  rivers,  and  its  mountains 
— its  caverns,  and  its  woods.  Here  all  is  change, 
while  the  water  is  ever  the  same." 

"  Surely,  Eudora,  you  forget  strangely  ! — Here  it 
is  all  America.  This  mountain  is  America ;  yonder 
land  across  the  bay  is  America,  and  the  anchorage 
of  yesterday  was  America.  When  we  shall  run  oft 
the  coast,  the  next  land-fall  will  be  England,  or  Hol 
land,  or  Africa ;  and  with  a  good  wind,  we  may  run 
down  the  shores  of  two  or  three  countries  in  a  day." 

"  And  on  them,  too,  thoughtless  boy  !  If  you  lose 
this  occasion,  thy  life  will  be  wedded  to  hazard!" 

"  Farewell,  Eudora !"  said  the  urchin,  raising  his 
mouth  to  give  and  receive  the  parting  kiss. 

"  Eudora,  adieu  !  "  added  a  deep  and  melancholy 
voice,  at  her  elbow.  "  I  can  delay  no  longer,  for  my 
people  show  symptoms  of  impatience.  Should  this 
be  the  last  of  my  voyages  to  the  coast,  thou  wilt  not 
forget  those  with  whom  thou  hast  so  long  shared 
good  and  evil ! " 

"  Not  yet — not  yet — you  will  not  quit  us  yet ! 
Leave  me  the  boy — leave  me  some  other  memorial 
of  the  past,  besides  this  pain  !" 

"  My  hour  has  come.  The  wind  is  freshening, 
and  I  trifle  with  its  favor.  'Twill  be  better  for  thy 
happiness  that  none  know  the  history  of  the  brigan- 
tine ;  and  a  few  hours  will  draw  a  hundred  curious 
eyes,  from  the  town,  upon  us." 

"  What  care  I  for  their  opinions  ? — thou  wilt  not 
— cannot — leave  me,  yet!" 

"  Gladly  would  I  stay,  Eudora,  but  a  seaman's 
home  is  his  ship.  Too  much  precious  time  is  already 
wasted.  Once  more,  adieu!" 

The  dark  eye  of  the  girl  glanced  wildly  about 
her.  It  seemed,  as  if  in  that  one  quick  and  hurried 


THE    WATER-WITCH.  503 

look,  it  drank  in  all  that  belonged  to  the  land  and  its 
enjoyments. 

"Whither  go  you?"  she  asked,  scarce  suffering 
her  voice  to  rise  above  a  whisper.  "  Whither  dc 
you  sail,  and  when  do  you  return?" 

"  I  follow  fortune.  My  return  may  be  distant — 
never! — Adieu  then,  Eudora — be  happy  with  the 
friends  that  Providence  hath  given  thee  !" 

The  wandering  eyes  of  the  girl  of  the  sea  became 
still  more  unsettled.  She  grasped  the  offered  hand 
of  the  free-trader  in  both  her  own,  and  wrung  it  in 
an  impassioned  and  unconscious  manner.  Then  re 
leasing  her  hold,  she  opened  wide  her  arms,  and 
cast  them  convulsively  about  his  unmoved  and  un 
yielding  form. 

"  We  will  go  together ! — I  am  thine,  and  thine 
only!" 

"  Thou  knowest  not  what  thou  sayest,  Eudora!" 
gashed  the  Skimmer — "  Thou  hast  a  father — friend 
— husband " 

"Away,  away!"  cried  the  frantic  girl,  waving 
her  hand  wildly  towards  Alida  and  the  Patroon,  who 
advanced  as  if  hurrying  to  rescue  her  from  a  preci 
pice — "Thine,  and  thine  only  !" 

The  smuggler  released  himself  from  her  frenzied 
grasp,  and,  with  the  strength  of  a  giant,  he  held  the 
struggling  girl  at  the  length  of  his  arm,  while  he  en 
deavored  to  control  the  tempest  of  passion  that 
struggled  within  him. 

"  Think,  for  one  moment,  think  !"  he  said.  "  Thou 
wouldst  follow  an  outcast — an  outlaw — one  hunted 
and  condemned  of  men  !'* 

"Thine,  and  thine  only!"  * 

"  With  a  shij  for  a  dwelling — the  tempestuous 
ocean  for  a  world  ! — " 

"  Thy  world  is  my  woi  Id ! — thy  home,  my  home ' 
—thy  danger,  mine ! " 


504  THE   WATER-WITCH. 

The  shout  which  burst  out  of  the  chest  of  the 
Skimmer  of  the  Seas'  was  one  of  uncontrollable 
exultation. 

"  Thou  art  mine !"  he  cried.  "  Before  a  tie  like 
this,  the  claim  of  such  a  father  is  forgotten  !  Burgher, 
adieu ! — I  will  deal  by  thy  daughter  more  honestly 
than  thou  didst  deal  by  my  benefactor's  child!" 

Eudora  was  lifted  from  the  ground  as  if  her  weight 
had  been  that  of  a  feather ;  and,  spite  of  a  sudden 
and  impetuous  movement  of  Ludlow  and  the  Pa- 
troon,  she  was  borne  to  the  boat.  In  a  moment,  the 
bark  was  afloat,  with  the  gallant  boy  tossing  his  sea- 
cap  upward  in  triumph.  The  brigantine,  as  if  con 
scious  of  what  had  passed,  wore  round  like  a  whirl 
ing  chariot;  and,  ere  the  spectators  had  recovered 
from  their  confusion  and  wonder,  the  boat  was 
hanging  at  the  tackles.  The  free-trader  was  seen 
on  the  poop,  with  an  arm  cast  about  the  form  01 
Eudora,  waving  a  hand  to  the  motionless  group  on 
the  shore,  while  the  still  half-unconscious  girl  of  the 
ocean  signed  her  faint  adieus  to  Alida  and  her  father. 
The  vessel  glided  through  the  inlet,  and  was  imme 
diately  rocking  on  the  billows  of  the  surf.  Then, 
taking  the  full  weight  of  the  southern  breeze,  the 
fine  and  attenuated  spars  bent  to  its  force,  and  the 
progress  of  the  swift-moving  craft  was  apparent  by 
the  bubbling  line  of  its  wake. 

The  day  had  begun  to  decline,  before  Alida  and 
Ludlow  quitted  the  lawn  of  the  Lust  in  Rust.  For 
the  first  hour,  the  dark  hull  of  the  brigantine  was 
seen  supporting  the  moving  cloud  of  canvas.  Then 
the  low  structure  vanished,  and  sail  after  sail  settled 
imx  the  water,  until  nothing  was  visible  but  a  speck 
of  glittering  white.  It  lingered  for  a  minute,  and 
was  swallowed  in  the  void. 

The  nuptials  of  Ludlow  and  Alida  were  touched 
with  a  shade  of  melancholy  Natural  affection  in 


THE  WATER-WITCH.  505 

one,  and  professional  sympathy  in  the  other,  had 
given  them  a  deep  and  lasting  interest  in  the  fate  of 
the  adventurers. 

Years  passed  away,  and  months  were  spent  at  the 
villa,  in  which  a  thousand  anxious  looks  were  cast 
upon  the  ocean.  Each  morning,  during  the  early 
months  of  summer,  did  Alida  hasten  to  the  windows 
of  her  pavilion,  in  the  hope  of  seeing  the  vessel  of 
the  contraband  anchored  in  the  Cove: — but  always 
without  success.  It  never  returned  ; — and  though 
the  rebuked  and  disappointed  Alderman  caused 
many  secret  inquiries  to  be  made  along  the  whole 
extent  of  the  American  coast,  he  never  again  heard 
of  the  renowned  *  SKIMMER  or  THE  SEAS,'  or  of  1*. 
matchless  WATER- WITCH. 


THE  EM* 


UNIVERSITY   OF  CALIFORNIA    MliliAltY 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 


NO? 


MAY  a* 


30m6,'14 


955 


